March skies - plenty to look at

If you are not quite sure which of those stars is Mars, or where to look for swift Mercury, or your smart phone with Google Sky has a dead battery, then this month's What's Up podcast will help you out. It'll also show you why some Mars Oppositions are closer than others and provide some moon-near-planets or planets-near-planets guideposts. This month I added some downloadable planet finding charts, a calendar, and a Mars Opposition graphic. You can find all these on the Solar System Exploration website here right below the video formats. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-view.cfm?WUID=1124 Good dates to catch a planet (or two) * March 3 is Mars Opposition. It'll rise at sunset, set near dawn, and you'll have good views for many months! * March 5 Mercury below Jupiter and Venus (its highest altitude) * March 7 Moon and Mars * March 12 and 13, Venus passes Jupiter (watch them switch places over the next two weeks - Venus is the brighter of the two) * March 25 Moon next to Jupiter * March 26 Moon next to Venus We'll have 2 telescopes out on busy Colorado Blvd, weather permitting tomorrow night (Saturday March 3, since we were weathered out last Friday night) Look for our man-sized telescopes somewhere along Colorado between Fair Oaks and Pasadena Avenues, where we find a curbside parking spot. Stop by and have a look at Jupiter, the moon, and Venus, and we'll point out Mars (at opposition) to you. Mark your calendar for May 19 - we'll hold a public star party in Mojave National Preserve's Black Canyon Group Campsite on that night. Free camping, RSVP required. Dark skies - darker than you've ever seen, I bet. Let us know if you are interested, we'll get you the directions and who to call for a campsite RSVP - potluck dinner before dark, lots of rangers, interpretive staff attend. Great event! This weekend is an interesting Mars in the Mojave Festival (March 9-12) at Death Valley National Park http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/events/2012/03-09-2012_mars-and-the-mojave… We may be there for a few of the events (hikes, great talks and panel discussions) -- Jane Houston Jones Monrovia, CA http://jane.whiteoaks.com/ http://twitter.com/jhjones What's Up For March: Amazing planetary views all month http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/whatsup-archive.cfm Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=JPLnews