After a brief hiatus, Starwatch is back! Welcome to the 159th edition of 6 Storm Team Starwatch. This is a blog that will be updated every Friday that will list events happening in the sky.

Friday, March 24, 2023

Tonight the crescent Moon is visible in the West above Venus (NASA). The Big Dipper is also visible in the Northeast (Sky & Telescope).

Saturday, March 25, 2023

Tonight above Venus the waxing crescent Moon is visible near the star cluster the Pleiades (Sky & Telescope). The Pleiades is also known as The Seven Sisters.

This Month

This Month the dwarf planet Ceres is at opposition (NASA). This means that the planet is directly on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun (NASA). When a planet is at opposition, it is at its shortest distance from Earth, making this the best time to see it at its brightest (NASA).

Ceres is about 600 miles wide, which is much smaller than our Moon (NASA). You will need to use binoculars or a small telescope to locate Ceres (NASA). You will first want to find the constellation Leo in the Southeast after 9 P.M. EDT (NASA). From there you can locate Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo which is blue-white in color (NASA).

If you look East about 25 degrees you will spot the star Denebola (NASA). From Denebola, Ceres is about 8-9 degrees East (NASA).

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