Never pass up a chance to sit down or relieve yourself. -old Apache saying

Saturday, March 1, 2014

March Stargazing


Springtime is upon us, and all eyes turn to love, and the heavens (seasons may vary in the Southern Hemisphere).

SkyTips: March 2014


Ruffled Rose
A detailed infrared view of the Rosette Nebula shows dense knots of gas and dust where new stars are forming, surrounded by vast clouds of more diffuse material. The Rosette is one of the largest stellar nurseries in our region of the galaxy, spanning more than 100 light-years and weighing as much as 10,000 suns. This false-color image was snapped by Herschel, a European infrared space observatory that recently completed its mission. [A/PACS & SPIRE Consortium/HOBYS Key Programme Consortia]

Stargazing Summary
The month marches in like a lion, with the constellation Leo leaping proudly across the sky all night. Some of the icons of winter remain in good view as well. Orion is in the southwest at nightfall, with Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, twinkling in the south. Venus continues to dominate the dawn as the “morning star,” while orange Mars huddles close to blue-white Spica.

More stargazing information »

Radio Program Highlights
If you want to start hearing the StarDate program in your area, you can request a station to carry our program by emailing the request to stations@stardate.org.

March 3-9: Planet Hunter. A planet-hunting spacecraft has discovered thousands of possible worlds outside our solar system. But it’s also discovering new details about stars, black holes, and much more. Join us for the Kepler mission and more.

March 10-16: Blackout. A storm on the Sun blacked out the province of Quebec a quarter of a century ago, and we’ll have details. We’ll also talk about possible fireworks in the center of the galaxy, plus a distant ice ball. Join us for this and more.

March 17-23: Moon Meanderings. The Moon passes several bright stars and planets this week, including Mars and Saturn and the leading lights of Scorpius and Virgo. Join us for these and other encounters in the night sky right here.

March 24-30: Whirlpools. The universe is filled with objects that look like cosmic whirlpools, and we’ll talk about a few of them this week, from a spiral galaxy that’s a factory for exploding stars to the poles of the planet Venus.

March 31-April 6: Alien Life. One of the goals of modern science is to find life on other worlds. We’ll talk about some efforts along those lines — along with some interest in visiting other star systems. Join us for this and much more.

March program schedule »

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This Month in StarDate Magazine
In our March/April issue, find out how astronomers are searching for the signs of life in the light signatures from extrasolar planets. And brush up on how colonial astronomy played a role in the trial for treason of Aaron Burr.

Subscribe today»

News From the Observatory
Giant Magellan Telescope Poised to Enter Construction Phase
The upcoming world's largest telescope has passed two critical milestones, according to founding partner The University of Texas at Austin. The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) has passed major reviews on its design and cost estimates and is ready to proceed to construction.

Celebrate Our 75th Anniversary in Midland and San Antonio
Join McDonald Observatory astronomers as they give talks at events around the state celebrating our 75th anniversary. Matthew Shetrone is speaking at Midland’s Blakemore Planetarium on March 1, and Fritz Benedict is speaking at San Antonio’s Witte Museum on March 21. We’ve got more anniversary events coming up in Texas later this year; stay tuned!

Details »

Webb Telescope Returns to SXSW in Austin
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) team is returning to the South by Southwest Gaming Expo in Austin March 7-9. The free exhibit includes a 13-foot model of the telescope's mirror, as well as astronomy visualizations on a giant touchscreen. The exhibit is brought by Northrop Grumman, builders of JWST and national sponsor of StarDate.

More information from NASA »

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About SkyTips
SkyTips is a monthly email newsletter for visitors to McDonald Observatory and StarDate Online. Each issue features stargazing highlights, upcoming StarDate radio program descriptions, and other news. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends and family.

SkyTips is a publication of the University of Texas McDonald Observatory Education and Outreach Office, 2609 University Ave. A2100, Austin, TX 78712. Reproduction of SkyTips content is permitted with proper credit given to McDonald Observatory.

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