Heavenly bodies everywhere

Planets, planets everywhere, and now a thin crescent moon thrown in to boot.

Plus, the day we have been waiting for has arrived, the planets Venus and Mars will be at their closest on Saturday, February 21.

We have been watching the pair get closer and closer over the past few weeks and the day we have been waiting for has arrived.

Let's begin looking almost due west about an hour after local sunset for the brightest object in the evening skies--the planet Venus. Be sure to have a clear, uncluttered horizon so nothing will get in the way of observing the pair.

They will be best observed in a pair of binoculars, a telescope's field of view will be too narrow to put them both in the same view.

If your sky is dark enough, the two planets are just left of the circlet of the constellation Pisces, and just right of the tail of the constellation Cetus, the Whale (or the sea monster from the Perseus story.

If you look even further right you will find the Great Square of Pegasus just setting below the horizon.

On Friday, Feb. 20, a three-day old moon will join the planetary pair. This will be a great opportunity for any of you budding astro-photographers out there. All three will be neatly tucked inside the same field of binocular view.

On Saturday, Feb. 21, the Venus/Mars pair will be at their closest, and if you have followed the moon, it has now cozied up to another planet, the planet Uranus.

Uranus is difficult to find by itself, but with a great helper like the moon it won't be a problem. They will be just a little more than a degree apart (the moon is only one half-degree wide) and will fit nicely in the field of view of a pair of binoculars.

The pair will not be in the same telescopic field of view, but it won't be a problem to swing the scope down and a little right to find the elusive little blue-green dot.

As the moon continues its journey across the sky it will encounter yet another planet, this time the king of the planets, Jupiter. On the evening of Sunday, March 29. They won't be in the same field of view, but they will be close--a little more than five degrees.

Look about an hour and a half after local sunset at about (1930 hours MST) in the eastern sky. If you have a telescope, use it to examine some of the surface features on the almost-full moon, and track down some of the four Galilean moons of Jupiter.

Now, the moon is not finished. As it keeps on traveling on it encounters yet another planet, this time the glorious ringed-planet Saturn in the early morning hours of March 12, and again, it will be well worth your time to examine both objects using a telescope.

The best time to start looking will be at about 0230 hours MST, or better yet, wait and set your alarm clock for 0500 hours MST when the moon/Saturn pair will be high in the sky almost due south.

Not only will the viewing be better, but you get a few more hours sleep.

SKYWATCH: The moon is new today, Feb. 18, and, of course, a new moon means no moon will be visible. It will be at first-quarter on February 25.

NEXT WEEK: More astronomical blathering.