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Celestial
Events Calendar
Originally the first month of the year in the Roman calendar
because it contained the spring equinox, named after the roman god of war,
Mars!
Thursday, March 3, 2005:
5 AM CST The planet Mercury is at its ascending node, that
is, Mercury is crossing the plane of the Earths orbit and heading northward.
6 AM CST The eclipse path of the Moon and Antares crosses
over Texas
11:37 PM CST Last Quarter Moon
Friday, March 4, 2005:
1 AM CST Venus and Uranus are less than a degree apart but
only 7o from the Sun.
The Neal Site is open tonight!
Saturday, March 5, 2005:
Voyager 1 flew past Jupiter on this date in 1979.
The Neal Site is open tonight!
Tuesday, March 8, 2005:
9 PM CST Mercury is at perihelion, the point in its orbit
where it is closest to the Sun ~ 28.6 million miles
10 PM CST The Moon is at perigee, the point in its orbit
where it is closest to the Earth ~ 228,000 miles
Wednesday, March 9, 2005:
6:00 PM CST North Houston Astronomy Club Executive
Board Meeting, Kingwood College, CLA 225 physics lab, upstairs from
the Teaching Theater
Thursday, March 10, 2005:
3:12 AM CST New Moon, the beginning of lunation cycle
#1017
The rings of Uranus were discovered on this date in 1977.
Friday, March 11, 2005:
3 PM CST The Sun leaves the astronomical constellation of
Aquarius, the Water Carrier, and enters the astronomical constellation of
Pisces the Fish.
The Neal Site is open tonight!
Saturday, March 12, 2005:
12 PM CST The Moon is at its ascending node (see March 3)
12 PM CST Mercury is at its Greatest Elongation East. This
is a good time to view Mercury as it is the furthest that it gets in this
orbital cycle from the Sun in the evening sky ~ 18.3o east of the
Sun
The Neal Site is open tonight!
Sunday, March 13, 2005:
Gamma Normid meteor shower, active February 25
through March 22
ZHR ~ 8 meteors/hour
William Herschel discovered Uranus on this date in 1781.
The Giotto probe flew past comet Haley on this date in 1986.
Monday, March 14, 2005:
Albert Einstein was born on this date in 1879.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005:
The Ides of March The Ides of a month on the Roman
calendar was the 15th or 13th day depending on the month.
Julius Caesar was assassinated on this date in the year 44 BCE (before the
common era)
Thursday, March 17, 2005:
1:18 PM CST First Quarter Moon
Friday, March 18, 2005:
Mars is at heliocentric conjunction with the planet Pluto,
that is, they are both lined up with the Sun on the same side of the Sun.
The Neal Site is open tonight!
Saturday, March 19, 2005:
The Neal Site is open tonight!
10 AM CST Mercury stops its normal apparent eastward drift
through the stars and begins retrograde westward motion.
5 PM CST The Moon is at apogee, the point in its orbit
where it is furthest from the Earth ~ 254,000 miles.
Sunday,
March 20, 2005:
6:33 AM CST The Vernal Equinox or Spring Equinox, The
apparent path of the Sun through the stars is crossing the plane of the Earths
equator (celestial equator) and heading northward. Both of Earths hemispheres receive
an equal amount of sunlight. The fist day of spring in the northern hemisphere,
the first day of fall in the southern hemisphere. Daylight and darkness are of
equal length ~ 12 hrs.
The Sun leaves the astrological sign of Pisces and enters
the astrological sign of Aries, the Ram.
Monday, March 21, 2005:
4 PM CST Saturn ceases its retrograde westward motion
through the stars and begins its normal eastward drift.
Thursday, March 24, 2005:
Virginid meteor shower active January 25 to April 15
Friday, March 25, 2005:
3:00 PM CST Full Moon, Sap, Crow or Lenten
moon
71st Meeting of the North Houston Astronomy Club
Christian Huygens discovered Saturns moon Titan on this
date in 1655.
Saturday, March 26, 2005:
11:18 PM CST The Moon is at its descending node.
Sunday, March 27, 2005:
9 PM CST Pluto stops its apparent normal eastward drift
through the stars and begins a retrograde westward drift.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005:
10 AM CST Mercury is at inferior conjunction, that is, it
is lined up with the Sun and Earth on the same side of the Sun that the Earth
is on.
Thursday, March 31, 2005:
9 PM CST Venus is at superior conjunction, that is it is
on the exact opposite side of the Sun from where the Earth is.