Clouds may get in the way of some upcoming sights, but keep your fingers crossed for clear skies on March 1st. Jupiter and Venus will be in conjunction. These two celestial sights will be within half a degree of each other in the western sky. "Venus is slowly moving upward from the west," says Bob King. "Jupiter is sliding westward night after night." The two will continue to drift closer to one another as March approaches.
Space X is launching more satellites in the coming days, which will add to the roughly 3,000 satellites already floating around the planet. These "version 2" satellites will be twice as heavy as their predecessors and may reflect more light, thus causing more potential for polluting views through telescopes and photos by amateur and professional astronomers alike. For King, it's interesting to look at the wonder as a feat of human progress, but the flip side is also felt. "It's really distracting... it's disappointing, and it makes me worry about the future of the night sky."
If you're in the northern reaches of the state this Friday, meet up with Bob at Voyageurs National Park for a starry snowshoe hike. Space is limited, so be sure to register and reserve snowshoes online. "I'll have my telescope set up," says King. "I'll show you all kinds of really cool things from a wonderfully dark sky."
