The Nantucket Sky

The Nantucket Sky in March 2008
(All times are Eastern Standard Time)

The Sun (for the middle of the month, March 15)
Rises at 6:51 a.m.
Sets at 6:48 p.m.

The Moon
New Moon: March 7, 12:14 pm
First Quarter: March 14, 6:46 am
Full Moon: March 21, 2:40 pm
Last Quarter: March 29, 5:47 pm

Planets
Mercury: May be observable with binoculars in the glow of sunrise at the beginning of the month.
Venus: Quickly approaches the Sun and will be still observable only in the first half of the month, close to Mercury, in the glow of sunrise.
Mars: An all-night object (in Taurus).
Jupiter: Higher and higher in the eastern part of the sky, before the sunrise.
Saturn: An all-night object (in Leo).

Meteor Showers
No spectacular meteor showers until April-May

Comets
Comet Holmes, which flared up in October 2007 and was visible to an unaided eye for more than two months, is now much weaker and can only be photographed with a telescope.

“The Nantucket Sky” is generously provided at the beginning of each month by the Maria Mitchell Observatory, 4 Vestal Street. Thank you to Executive Director Janet E. Schulte for proposing this idea, and to Astronomer Vladimir Strelnitski for the report.