• Mark Alan Lovewell

Moon, Mars and Saturn

Saturday morning, in the hour before most awake, three celestial objects appear close together in the southern sky. The gibbous moon and the planets Mars and Saturn are together as a tight triangle and visible more than an hour before sunrise. The triangle is elongated, but the appearance of the three together is a pretty sight.

Mars and Saturn are about equal brightness. Mars is reddish. You can’t miss Mars. Mars and Saturn outshine all the stars in the zodiacal constellation Sagitarius where they reside. The moon is one day short of last quarter phase.

If the weather doesn’t cooperate, Sunday morning offers a similar sight, but the moon will have advanced farther east.

Mars and Saturn are going to dominate our summer skies. Mars is brightening at almost a startling rate. By June, Mars will be beautifully poised in our early summer skies, far brighter than it is now. Mars reaches opposition in late July and will be a pretty sight on the night of the Fourth of July fireworks.

But don’t wait. Take a peek at Mars now to get a reference. The moon will help you find the planet tomorrow morning.
 

 

Sunrise and Sunset
Day Sunrise Sunset
Fri., April 6 6:16 7:12
Sat., April 7 6:15 7:13
Sun., April 8 6:13 7:14
Mon., April 9 6:11 7:15
Tues., April 10 6:10 7:16
Wed., April 11 6:08 7:17
Thurs., April 12 6:07 7:18
Fri., April 13 6:05 7:19
Temperatures and Precipitation
Day Max (Fº) Min (Fº) Inches
March 30 56 44 0.00
March 31 50 39 0.11
April 1 51 38 0.00
April 2 53 33 T
April 3 40 26 0.31
April 4 49 38 0.45
April 5 57 32 0.13

 

Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 45º F

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