February 22 – March 7, 2021
MOUNT WASHINGTON — It seems that we are born knowing that we can tell the time of day by the position of the Sun in the sky. The time of year is evident when we observe the changing location of the rising and setting Sun along the horizon, the trajectory of the Sun’s arc on the sky dome, and the length of day. In the illustration, February is represented by the third line. The whole image reflects our experience of the Sun’s northerly movement on the horizon from winter to summer solstice. We observe our star, the Sun, climb higher in the sky each day. On the vernal equinox, March 20, the sunrise point is due east on the skyline.
For the period of this post, sunset is a minute later and sunrise about two minutes earlier each day. Our excitement with the quickening change of season, most evident in longer days, can only be equaled at nightfall when we discover the harbinger of spring constellation, Leo the Lion, climbing above the eastern skyline. Study the illustration of the star-studded Lion. Regulus, 1.34m, the constellation’s brightest star, marks Leo’s heart, followed by shoulder star Algieba, 2m. Denebola, 2.12m, punctuates its tail, and Ras Elased aka Algenubi, 2.96m, is at Leo’s nose.
When we learn to tell the seasons – the time of year – by the position of stars and constellations in the evening sky, a sense of oneness with the night under the stars is awakened. When we recognize a star or star pattern, we step into a gathering of stargazers through the centuries.
Today, the 22nd, a gibbous moon rises in the east-northeast at 12:35 p.m. Sunset is at 5:34; twilight 6:02; nightfall 7:07. Stargaze early in the week while the moon is not so close to Leo as to overpower the stars of the constellation. The Full Snow Moon rises close to the Lion’s tail at 6:11 p.m. on the 27th; later in hilly landscapes.
Planets for early risers
Sunrise today is at 6:40 a.m., twilight 6:11 a.m., and daybreak 5:06 a.m. Find a guide to morning planets at EarthSky.
Resources
http://www.derekscope.co.uk/astronoical-calendar-for-yearly/
https://earthsky.org/tonight/mercurys-greatest-elongation-march-6-2021