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Night Sky Events from Late January to Early March: Lunar Eclipse, Planetary Alignments, and Visible Constellations

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Celestial Events: Late January through Early March

The period from late January through early March featured various celestial events, including a new moon, planetary alignments, lunar phases, and a total lunar eclipse. Observers could view prominent planets such as Jupiter and Saturn, along with several constellations and the faint zodiacal light.

January Celestial Observations

The new moon occurred on January 18 at 2:52 p.m. EST (1952 GMT). During a new moon, the illuminated side of the moon faces away from Earth, rendering it invisible and contributing to dark night skies.

Visible Planets (January 18)

  • Saturn: Approximately 37 degrees above the southwestern horizon around 6 p.m. EST for observers near 40 degrees north latitude. It was reported to set around 9:48 p.m. EST in New York. For Southern Hemisphere observers in Santiago, Chile, Saturn was 22 degrees high in the west by 10 p.m. local time, setting at 11:54 p.m.

  • Jupiter: Rose at 3:58 p.m. EST and was about 21 degrees high in the east by 6 p.m. EST. It was visible almost all night, setting around 6:49 a.m. EST on January 19 in New York. In Santiago, Jupiter rose at 8:11 p.m. local time and was about 18 degrees high in the northeastern sky by 10 p.m.

  • Mercury, Venus, and Mars were positioned too close to the sun for observation on this date. Mercury was expected to become visible in February evenings, Venus in March evenings, and Mars in March predawn skies.

Constellations (Late January)

  • Northern Hemisphere: Orion (featuring its three-star belt, Betelgeuse, Rigel, and the Orion Nebula), Gemini (where Jupiter was located, with Castor and Pollux), Taurus (containing Aldebaran, the Hyades, and the Pleiades), Canis Minor (with Procyon), Canis Major (with Sirius), Auriga, and the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) were visible.

  • Southern Hemisphere: Constellations of the Argo (Puppis, Carina, Vela) were prominent. Sirius was observed at approximately 51 degrees high, and Canopus at around 59 degrees high. The Southern Cross (Crux) was about 13 degrees above the south-southeastern horizon and was circumpolar from Santiago's latitude. Achernar was visible in the southwest, while Rigel was in the north-northeast with Orion's Belt below it.

A razor-thin waxing crescent moon was observed on January 19, followed by Earthshine visibility between January 20-22 alongside Saturn. The first quarter moon occurred on January 25.

February Celestial Events

Lunar Phases and Planetary Conjunctions

  • February 2: An occultation of Regulus occurred, where the moon passed in front of the star, visible from the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada between 8:40 and 10:05 p.m. EST.
  • February 8: Venus returned to the evening sky, appearing low in the west-southwest, with Mercury and Saturn positioned above it.
  • February 17: A new moon occurred at 07:01 UT (2:01 a.m. EST), creating dark night skies. Simultaneously, an annular solar eclipse was visible over Antarctica but not from North America. This new moon preceded a total lunar eclipse on March 3.
  • February 18: A 2%-illuminated waxing crescent moon was visible low over the west-southwestern horizon 30-60 minutes after sunset, positioned below Mercury, with Venus below that.
  • February 19: A 10%-illuminated waxing crescent moon was visible in the west-southwest twilight 45-90 minutes after sunset. Saturn was approximately 3 degrees to its lower left, and Mercury was near its highest altitude in the evening sky, approximately 10 degrees above the horizon. Mercury was at its greatest eastern elongation.
  • February 20: Mercury was observed at its highest altitude in its evening apparition, approximately 45-60 minutes after sunset, facing west-southwest. A 14%-illuminated crescent moon and Saturn were also visible.
  • February 21: A 22%-illuminated waxing crescent moon set approximately 3 hours after dark, facilitating the viewing of winter constellations.
  • February 22: A 32% waxing crescent moon set midway through the evening.
  • February 23: A nearly first-quarter moon passed near the Pleiades star cluster (M45) in Taurus.
  • February 24: The moon reached its first quarter at 2:28 a.m. EST (0728 GMT) and passed perigee, appearing slightly larger and brighter.
  • February 25: The waxing gibbous moon traveled through the constellation Taurus, positioned between the stars Elnath and Zeta Tauri, roughly halfway between Jupiter and the Pleiades. Aldebaran and the Hyades cluster were visible below.
  • February 26: Jupiter and a 72%-illuminated waxing gibbous moon were visible high in the southeast after dark, forming a loose rectangle with the stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini.

Planetary Visibility and Constellations (February)

  • Jupiter: On February 15, Jupiter was visible in the constellation Gemini, shining at magnitude –2.5, approximately 30 degrees above the eastern horizon after dark. It served as a guidepost for locating other winter stars.
  • Winter Constellations: Orion's Belt (Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka) was visible in the south after dark from the Northern Hemisphere on February 16. The Winter Triangle (Sirius, Procyon, and Betelgeuse) was visible after nightfall on February 22. The Big Dipper was observed rising in the northeast after dark on February 12.

Zodiacal Light (February)

  • The zodiacal light, a faint cone of light from sunlight scattering off dust particles, was visible towards the west 60-90 minutes after sunset from dark, rural skies in mid-February.

March Celestial Events

Total Lunar Eclipse (March 3)

A total lunar eclipse occurred on March 3 before dawn, during which the full "Worm Moon" was referred to as a "blood moon."

  • The entire event lasted 5 hours and 38 minutes (08:44 to 14:22 UTC), with the totality phase lasting 58 minutes (11:04 to 12:02 UTC).
  • Visibility for the entire event included the western half of North America, the Pacific region, Australia, New Zealand, and East Asia. Europe was not within the visibility zone.
  • North American local times for totality were:
    • Eastern: 6:04-7:02 a.m. EST (moon set during totality)
    • Central: 5:04-6:02 a.m. CST
    • Mountain: 4:04-5:02 a.m. MST
    • Pacific: 3:04-4:02 a.m PST
    • Alaska: 2:04-3:02 a.m. AKST
    • Hawaii: 1:04-2:02 a.m. HST
  • No eye protection was required for observation.
  • This event marked the last total lunar eclipse visible over North America until June 25, 2029.

Planetary Movements and Conjunctions (March)

  • March 2: A nearly full moon was visible below Regulus after dark, with Jupiter positioned high in the southeast among the stars of Gemini.
  • March 7-8: Venus and Saturn were in a close conjunction, visible approximately 45 minutes after sunset in the west. On March 7, Saturn appeared higher; on March 8, Venus was positioned above Saturn.
  • March 25: Saturn transitioned to the pre-dawn sky.

Moon Phases (March)

  • A 98% waning gibbous moon was visible on March 4, following the lunar eclipse.

Constellations and Zodiacal Light (March)

  • Winter constellations, including Orion, Taurus, Auriga, Canis Minor, Canis Major, and Gemini, were observed descending toward the western horizon on March 4.
  • The Big Dipper continued its seasonal climb in the northeastern sky, with its pointer stars indicating Polaris.
  • The Winter Hexagon, formed by Sirius, Procyon, Pollux, Capella, Aldebaran, and Rigel, framed the southern sky.
  • The zodiacal light was visible in the west about an hour after sunset during the first two weeks of March from dark locations.