Sky Lights ~ Pisces February 19 - March 20, 2008 Mars is seen directly overhead at 8:00pm. The planet sets in the west around 3:15am during Pisces. Almost directly south of Mars lies red Betelgeuse. Look west of Betelgeuse to find red Aldebaran and you'll see all members of the shape shifting Red Triad. 2/29 8pm Star Map Compare the color and brightness of each. The Red planet is now moving eastward away from Taurus the Bull toward the feet of the Gemini Twins. Mars Path 3/08 Saturn reaches opposition 2/24/08. It is at its best during Pisces, brightest, biggest and closest for 2008. It is out all night long. It rises at sunset, is overhead around midnight, and sets at sunrise. It's retrograde motion (12/19/07-5/1/08) is moving it westward back toward Regulus the blue-white heart star of Leo the Lion. The eclipsed Moon occurs below Regulus near Saturn during the Feb. 20/21 total lunar eclipse (Moon's location varies slightly depending on your location). When the ringed planet lies low above the eastern horizon, Mars lies overhead. 2/29 8pm Star Map Saturn's rings are closing toward their 2009 edge-on view. Jupiter is brilliant as it ascends above the predawn southeastern horizon and distances itself from the descending 5x brighter Venus. Jupiter rises around 4:00am during Pisces. Venus and Mercury are a predawn twilight pair east of Jupiter. They rise together in the beginning of Pisces at 5:30am Standard Time and by its end at 6:30am Daylight Saving Time. Mercury's retrograde motion ended 2/18 the day before Pisces began. Faint Mercury lies just north of the 100x brighter Venus 2/26; it reaches greatest elongation 3/3 and lies just south of Venus 3/23. 3/3 6:30am Map The Pleiades star cluster can be seen high in the west in the early evening. Look for the bright red star, Aldebaran, the eye of Taurus the Bull. Northwest of this star find the mini dipper-shaped sparkling Pleiades, the Bull's shoulder. The brighter red Betelgeuse, Orion's shoulder star, lies southeast of Aldebaran and the Pleiades. These two red stars and the cluster line up diagonally. Winter Star Map In 2008 brighter red Mars lies almost directly north of Betelgeuse forming the Red Triad with Aldebaran as the third point. 2/29 8pm Star Map The Pleiades set around 1:00am during Pisces. Capella is the very bright star overhead and northeast of the Pleiades. It is the brightest star seen the most often. It lies in the constellation Auriga, our celestial Santa. Star Map In 2008 it is the brightest object north of bright red Mars. Orion The Hunter, the cosmic giant, lies directly overhead at 8:00pm. Navigating with Orion introduces you to the winter stars. Use his belt stars to locate Sirius and Aldebaran, Betelgeuse and Rigel. Notice the colors of these 4 stars. The three belt stars of Orion represent the Three Wise Men. Orion helps one find the Winter Triangle, the Great Winter Hexagon and the Valentine's Star! Orion fully sets by 2:15am during Pisces. Sirius the brightest star in the heavens can be seen in the southeast at sunset. It travels across the southern sky and sets in the southwest in the beginning of Pisces around 2:00am Standard Time, by its end around 1:30am Daylight Saving Time. Arcturus, a bright golden star, rises around 9:00pm during Pisces. Use the handle of the Big Dipper to arc down to golden Arcturus, then spike down to blue-white Spica in the south! Big Dipper Navigation Printable
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