Zodiacal light Mars and Saturn
Spring is the time to look for zodiacal light in the early night-sky. This year, because of the phases of the moon, March 23-April 6 is the best time to see it.
Away from city lights, about 90 minutes to two hours after sunset, look for a huge, diffused triangle of light on the western horizon. It is caused by sunlight reflecting off debris from comets and asteroids that orbit the sun in roughly the same plane as Earth. It should be a bit brighter than the Milky Way. The triangle will tilt slightly to the left because it is aligned with the ecliptic, the apparent path that the sun traces in the sky. The Seattle Times Weather Page provides daily rising and setting times for the sun, moon and planets.
Find orange-colored Mars high in the south sky after sunset this month, as it continues to make an excellent binocular-viewing target. Mars begins to fade as Earth continues to pull ahead of it in their respective orbits. Saturn then becomes our target as it is the brightest starlike object, high in the east as the sun sets. Look at the tilt of its rings through binoculars. The rings show less tilt this year than last, and will continue to diminish until they will not be visible, even with large telescopes. Saturn’s moon, Titan, continues to be of interest, with the discovery of hydrocarbon lakes at its south pole. Watch several nights for Titan’s point of light to shift location, around Saturn, as it takes about 16 days to orbit the planet.
Rodney Ash, special to The Seattle Times
Rodney Ash is a member of Seattle Astronomical Society, www.seattleastro.org. Star Watch appears in Northwest Weekend the first Thursday of each month.
Tags: minis, s south, target0
