Early evening, zodiacal light. Late evening, moon and Mars 104 TONIGHT FOR MARCH 18, 2014 Asteroid to blot out bright star Regulus Wednesday night In early evening tonight – and for the next several weeks – those in the Northern Hemisphere should watch for the mysterious zodiacal light. The next two weeks provide a good window for watching the zodiacal light in the west each night as full darkness falls, because the moon is rising later at night now. And speaking of the moon … watch for it to rise in mid-evening tonight (March 18, 2014) in the vicinity of the planet Mars. Follow the links below to learn more about the zodiacal light in early evening, and the moon and planet Mars from mid-evening until dawn. Zodiacal light in early evening. See the moon and the planet Mars on March 18. View larger Ben Coffman wrote, “Hi, EarthSky, I managed to catch some zodiacal light just after sunset last Friday at the Oregon coast and thought I’d share the photo with you. As far as I recall, this was my first time seeing zodiacal light, and I only knew what it was because of some of your past articles–thanks! And thanks for checking out the photo!” Thank you Ben! Zodiacal light in early evening. From the Northern Hemisphere, late February through April – the weeks around the March equinox – are the best time of the year to catch this pyramid of light illuminating the western sky as soon as true darkness falls. The best time is about 80 to 120 minutes after sunset. This observation is not for city dwellers, but if you find yourself beneath a dark country sky – or perhaps driving along a country road after dusk – look this eerie light. In 2014, look for the apex of the zodiacal light to point upward in the direction of the planet Jupiter, the brightest star-like object in the evening sky. You simply can’t miss Jupiter. From northerly latitudes, this dazzling world pops out nearly overhead at dusk. The zodiacal light is caused by sunlight reflecting off interplanetary dust particles that orbit the sun within the inner solar system. People at mid-northern latitudes can see the zodiacal light after dusk at present because the ecliptic – the plane of the solar system – is nearly perpendiular to the horizon on March evenings. The farther south you live within the Northern Hemisphere’s temperate zone, the more likely you are to spot the zodiacal light. On the other hand, from the Southern Hemisphere, the month of March presents the zodiacal light in the morning sky, in the east just before dawn. However, you might have to wait until late March/early April 2014 to see it. By then, the moon will have moved out of the morning sky.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 15:31:46 +0000
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