![]() ![]() Features such as the Jovian belts and the four moons will be on display. Watch as the two move together for a spectacular conjunction on March 15. Jupiter makes up the other half of the duo, along with Venus, in the west after sunset. On March 7, the Red Planet lies just to the upper left of the moon. ![]() Mars shines brightly in the east about an hour after sunset. On March 26 it is reported that Venus will reach its highest point in the sky for its entire 8-year cycle. Venus is high in the west at sunset and is the brightest object in the sky other than the moon. Start early, for Mercury will fade quickly and disappear from view by mid-March. Mercury lies low in the west at sunset and offers the best opportunity to view the innermost planet this year. These are the moon, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Sirius. Focus on the planetsįred Schaaf in Sky & Telescope magazine reports that six of the brightest objects in the sky are visible in the night sky about 45 minutes after sunset. The cross-quarter days held great significance to pagan religions and the very early Christian church. 2, Beltane or May Day on May 1, Lammas on August 1, and All Souls’ Day or Halloween on Oct. These are Candlemas or Groundhog Day on Feb. The halfway point between a solstice and equinox is called a cross-quarter day. The spring, or vernal equinox, the point at which the sun crosses the equator into the northern hemisphere, is March 20, while the reverse crossing, the fall or autumnal equinox, will take place on Sept. 21 in 2012, is when the sun is at its farthest point south of the equator, while the summer solstice, June 20, is when it is at its northernmost point. The year is divided up into two solstices and two equinoxes. A reader emailed to inquire about cross-quarter days as mentioned in the February Maine Skies. ![]()
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