Opinion

Changing kings of the sky

Thursday, March 25, 2010

With the change in seasons we are going to have a change in kings of the sky. Orion, the Hunter, the king of winter, is moving off stage right. He will be replaced by Leo, the Lion, the king of the springtime skies.

Leo is one of the few of the 88 recognized constellations to actually look like what it is supposed to be.

Leo can be found in the early evening sky about an hour after sunset climbing above the eastern horizon. The head and mane of the lion are marked by a backward question mark with the very bright star, Regulus, in the place where the period at the bottom of the question mark should be. A triangle of stars to the lower left of the head mark the hindquarters of the beast.

Located about 78 light years away, Regulus, or Alpha Leonis as it is known in astronomical circles, is a multiple star with three other companions. Regulus A and B are spectroscopic doubles.

That means the companion star B is too small, or too close, to be seen with a telescope. Only examination with a spectroscope which separates the colors of light can it be seen. The C/D pair can be observed in amateur telescopes.

If you are having a difficult time locating Leo, go out on Friday night, March 26, and look in the east for an almost full moon. Regulus and Leo, are just to the left.

Below Leo is another of the spring constellations, Virgo, the Maiden. If you are out observing between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. MDT swing your binoculars slowly between the two. This is an area called the "Realm of the Galaxies." It is called that because here are located hundreds of galaxies. Some can be seen in binoculars and others required a telescope for observation. However observed, all will be faint fuzzies.

If you are in that area, swing a little further to the left into Coma Berenices to find a delightful little open star cluster named Melotte 111. It is located about 228 light years away. In ancient times it was considered the tuft of hair on the lion's tail. More about Coma Berenices and Virgo next time.

SKY WATCH: Full moon March 29. The "rising stars" of the western sky for the next couple of weeks are the two innermost planets of the solar system, bright Venus and dimmer Mercury.

If you have a very clear, unobstructed western horizon look for both of them about a half-hour after sunset. Venus is the higher of the two. For the next few days binoculars will help pull Mercury out of the sun's glare along the horizon. Although Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, for the next few weeks it will be closer to Earth than Venus because Venus is just coming around from being on the far side of the sun. If you could look at the solar system from the top down Mercury is located between Earth and Venus.

Two other planetary bodies are featured prominently in the evening sky. Mars, although past its peak at opposition, still glows brightly in the early evening sky.

Wednesday, March 24, Mars was just six degrees -- a little more than the distance of your clenched fist held at arms length -- below the moon. Tonight, March 25, the moon will be just left of M44, the Beehive cluster, in Cancer, the Crab. Block out the bright moon with the left rim of your binocular field of view and M44 will be just a little beyond the right edge of view.

Ringed Saturn is also in the early evening sky now between Leo and Virgo. The moon will be a good locater for Saturn on Sunday, March 28. The planet will be about nine degrees to the left.

On March 30 the just-past full Moon will join Spica, the brightest star in Virgo. It will be just to the right of the bright star.

NEXT TIME: Coma Berenices and Virgo and more astronomical blathering.

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