• West Chop skies at end of day.
  • Mark Alan Lovewell

Crescent Moon, Venus and Mercury

On Sunday night, about an hour after sunset there are three celestial objects close to the western horizon. A thin crescent moon, only a day old, plus Venus and Mercury. All three form an uneven line. Venus, the brightest planet in the sky, is in the middle. All three are in the zodiacal constellation Pisces.

Clear skies near the horizon are essential. Plus, you’ll need an unencumbered view of the western sky. Menemsha Beach, West Chop overlook and anyone riding a ferryboat has the best opportunity to see these three. There are other places too, like Gay Head cliffs.

More of us will see the crescent moon on Monday night, when it is a good deal higher in the sky. Even more will see it Tuesday and for the rest of the week.

On Thursday night, the moon is high and in the zodiacal constellation Taurus. The star right underneath the moon is Aldebaran, the brightest star in the zodiacal constellation. Earlier in the day, the moon occulted the star. The moon passed right over the star, but it was only visible in the western part of this country and during the daytime, not an easy observation.
 

Sunrise and Sunset
Day Sunrise Sunset
Fri., March 16 6:52 6:48
Sat., March 17 6:50 6:50
Sun., March 18 6:49 6:51
Mon., March 19 6:47 6:52
Tues., March 20 6:45 6:53
Wed., March 21 6:43 6:54
Thurs., March 22 6:42 6:55
Fri., March 23 6:40 6:56
Temperatures and Precipitations
Day Max (Fº) Min (Fº) Inches
March 9 40 27 0.00
March 10 42 33 0.00
March 11 44 29 0.00
March 12 46 31 0.00
March 13 48 32 *1.14
March 14 35 30 *0.68
March 15 41 32 0.00

 

Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 43º F

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