Attempts were made to view the lunar eclipse the morning of March 3rd, but unfortunately it was cloudy. Bemidji looked potentially clear, so Bob King got up early and drove in that direction. Along the way, he caught some glimpses of the early phase of the eclipse, also known as the penumbral shadow. However, the overcast skies wouldn’t allow for good viewing. About halfway between Grand Rapids and Bemidji, Bob had to give up and turn around.
Such is the life of an observer of the nighttime sky. But if you stick with it, astrological events do repeat. On August 28th this year, there will be a near-total lunar eclipse; the moon will be 96 percent covered - virtually total. Hopefully the August skies will be clear. The next total lunar eclipse won’t be until June of 2029.
In other astronomy news, there was recently a near planetary alignment within our solar system. It wasn’t quite as perfect as many social media sources would have you believe, but it was close.
Venus is low in the western sky at dusk and is currently visible. As March unfolds, Venus will climb higher in the evening sky. The best time for viewing is about 45 minutes to an hour after sunset. Jupiter can be viewed high in the southeastern sky. Uranus is in the same general area as Jupiter, but you’ll need a pair of binoculars to see it.
Daylight savings time will go into effect on Sunday, March 8th at 2:00 am. Clocks will be set ahead by one hour. As a result, stargazers will have to stay up longer for a nice dark sky.
Beginning on March 10th and extending for most of the month, there will be some nice evening views of the International Space Station. Expect two passes of the space station in the evening sky at dusk.
You can hear Astro Bob's Backyard Astronomy every other Tuesday at 8:20am on Northland Morning.
