Health & Fitness
BLOG: March Offers Unique Planet-Watching Opportunities
During March, the planets of Venus, Jupiter, and Mars are clearly visible in the early evening sky.
Look up at dusk, just as the sun goes down. It will be too early for stars, but in Harford County you’ll see two or three bright lights in the sky: The planets Venus and Jupiter will be shining brilliantly, very near each other, in the west; Mars is in the east.
This celestial event is rather unusual. This opportunity to see Venus and Jupiter so close to each other is the best for years to come. And Mars will not be shining as brilliantly until April 2014.
These planets will be bright and easily visible for just a few more evenings - so get outside for a few moments to catch this!
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If you’d like to add star-gazing to your evening of planet-watching, head to a rural area of Harford County where less lighting dims your view of the night sky. If you can find a hill that gives you a more panoramic view, even better. (One of my favorite places to star-gaze is Broom’s Bloom Dairy — while eating fresh ice cream of course.)
More info on planet-watching during March 2012 is here at National Geographic and here at EarthSky.
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Have you seen the planets? Have you found a favorite area to star-gaze?
