Q-90.1's Backyard Astronomer

This year, the March equinox arrives on the 20th which marks the first day of spring for the northern hemisphere. What does that mean in astronomical terms?

With binoculars, look for the large, almost perfectly round maria a little to the upper right of the center of the moon. This is the Sea of Serenity, measuring in at over 400 miles across.

About 90 minutes after sunset, look high in the south for the three stars in a line that make up Orion’s Belt. Underneath Orion is a faint trapezoid of stars that make up the body of Lepus the Hare.

About two hours after sunset, look high in the south for the constellation of Orion the Hunter. Orion’s Belt can help you find the three bright stars of the Winter Triangle.

The brightest star in the entire sky is... The Sun! So what’s the brightest star in the entire nighttime sky?

We won’t have any notable planets to see in the evening sky for many months, but Venus has returned to the morning sky!

About two hours after sunset, look halfway up the eastern sky for two bright stars that are relatively close to one another. These are Pollux and Castor, the heads of Gemini the Twins.

With the bright moon now out of the sky, it’s a perfect time to look for one of the season’s best deep sky objects – The Great Orion Nebula. About two hours after sunset, look about a third of the way up the southeast sky for Orion’s Belt, a line of three bright stars.

Of all the things that move among the stars, earth orbiting satellites can be quite common to see. During the few hours after sunset or before sunrise, literally dozens of satellites can be seen as faint slow moving dots.

All this week, the sunlit side of the moon will seem to grow as the moon rises later each night. This period between First Quarter and Full is called the Waxing Gibbous Moon.

Ushering in the new year is one of the best known constellations of all, Orion the Hunter.

About two hours after sunset, look about a third of the way up the eastern sky for the orange star Aldebaran. To the Greeks, Aldebaran was the fiery eye of Taurus the Bull.

Many of our modern holiday traditions have their roots in the winter festivals of long ago, and that includes the date we now call "Christmas."

During the week of December 13, the phase of the moon grows larger and brighter as it moves from First Quarter toward Full. We call this period the “waxing moon” as if we were “waxing” on more surface to the illuminated side.

For the next two weeks, you’ll get to enjoy a beautiful alignment of three planets in the southwest during evening twilight.

About 90 minutes after sunset, look low in the south for a medium bright star called Fomalhaut. It should be relatively easy to spot because it’s in an area devoid of other bright stars.

Look low the east after dark and you should see a pretty little cluster of stars. Its shape might remind you of a miniature little dipper, but it’s actually the famous Pleiades Star Cluster.

In the predawn hours of Friday, November 19, expect to be treated to a nearly-total eclipse of the moon. In this case, we’re talking over 97 percent eclipsed, which means the Earth’s shadow will cover all but a tiny sliver of the full moon.

The planet Venus is so bright that it appears low in the southwest just 30 minutes after sunset, long before any of the brightest stars. This is what sometimes gives Venus its nickname of “The Evening Star.”

As we approach mid-autumn, there is a bright yellowish star rising out of the northeast after dusk. This is Capella, the brightest star in the constellation of Auriga the Charioteer.