Starwatch for March 2023
Written by John Del Re on March 20, 2023
Hello! I’m Karl Hricko of United Astronomy Clubs of NJ and the National Space Society, bringing you the March Starwatch for the WNTI listening area.
Although Benjamin Franklin never invented the clock, he did invent the idea of Daylight Saving Time. He conceived of the idea when he served as a delegate to Paris, and wrote a satirical essay suggesting that the French could make better use of daylight, and save money by burning less candles).
Taking this idea further, the English builder, William Willett introduced the modern version of Daylight Saving Time. We began to practice it in 1918, and now have a revised version so that it now begins at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday of March, and ends on the first Sunday of November. As a result, March 9 will be the date when we set our clocks ahead one hour
Another important time this month is when the Sun crosses the Vernal Equinox , or the first day of spring. Our spring season will begin at 5:24 pm EDT on the 20th of this month.
Let’s now turn our eyes to the night sky. High in the sky, after sunset,
appears at the feet of the Gemini twins. At dusk, in the east-southeast, Saturn shines brightly below and to the left of the star Regulus in Leo. At dawn, Venus is very low on the southeast horizon, while Jupiter is a little higher to the right in Sagittarius.
So this month, even though we’ll be saving the daylight, you can still follow the planets in the sky through the first day of spring.
Until the next astronomy update, don’t forget to check out … what’s up in the night sky!
