** Dave Miller had an interesting encounter with a pair of PILEATED
WOODPECKERS [Grand pic] on Thursday. He noted a pair excavating a cavity in an
old pine tree that had been used previously. The male moved off, but when he
gently tapped the tree with a stick, the female appeared at the cavity
entrance. It would appear that housekeeping is getting underway.
** Dave Christie leaves some observations from Thursday. In Moncton, he
noted a flock of 75 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS [Jaseur boreal] in the west end working
crabapple trees. Dave passed over Caledonia Mountain on route to Moncton on
Thursday to note 8 RED CROSSBILLS [Bec-croisé des sapins] in four places with no
adult males among them. But he did note 3 adult males in that area the previous
week. He noted a pair of RAVENS [Grand corbeau] carrying sticks in the Dawson
Settlement/Osborne Corner area. Dave spotted one lone WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL
[Bec-croisé bifascié] on Thursday morning at Mary's Point, a species that he has
not seen since last December.
** It looks like we may have a few cloudy nights coming up this coming week
when the night sky may not show; however, any clear nights will offer some nice
items to look for.
This Week’s Sky
at a Glance, March 13 – 21
There is a lot to look for on clear
nights this week!
You know the season is shifting. As the
stars come out, the Big Dipper, standing on its handle in the northeast, is now
as high as Cassiopeia, which is standing on end in the northwest. The Dipper is
rising into spring and summer; Cassiopeia is descending from its high showing in
the fall and winter.
On Friday, March 13, in the dying moments
of the day, the Moon will go into its Last-quarter Phase meaning it will rise at
midnight and set at noon.
The brightest point of light at dusk is
Venus in the west. Second-brightest is Jupiter, much higher in the
east-southeast. Look to the right of Jupiter by two or three fists at arm's
length for Procyon. Look the same distance lower right of Procyon and there's
the evening's third-brightest point, Sirius.
Jupiter this month forms a big,
more-or-less equilateral triangle with Procyon and Pollux. Face southeast after
dark, and Procyon is to Jupiter's lower right. Pollux is to Jupiter's upper
right.
Procyon is also part of the slightly
larger Winter Triangle to the lower right, also equilateral. The Winter
Triangle's other stars are orange Betelgeuse in Orion and bright Sirius
below.
The Big Dipper glitters high in the
northeast these evenings, standing on its handle. The two stars forming the
front of the Dipper's bowl (currently on top) are the Pointers; they
point to Polaris, currently to their left or lower
left.
If you follow the curve of the Dipper's
handle out and around by a little more than a Dipper length, you'll
arc to
Arcturus, which is now rising in the
east-northeast.
Draw a line diagonally across the
Dipper's bowl from where the handle is attached, continue far on, and you'll
get to Gemini.
And look at the two stars forming the
open top of the Dipper's bowl. Follow this line past the bowl's lip far across
the sky, and you crash into
Capella.
On Friday, March 20, spring begins in the
Northern Hemisphere at the equinox, 7:45 p.m.
This is when the Sun crosses the equator heading north for the
season.
On Saturday, March 21, in twilight, look
west well below Venus for a very thin waxing crescent Moon close to
Mars.
On Friday, March 20, the Moon will go
into its New Phase meaning we will not see it during the night. Expect higher
high tides and lower low tides.
On Saturday, March 14, the sun will rise at 7:32 a.m.
and set at 7:23 p.m. to give 11 hours 50 minutes of daylight hours On Saturday,
March 21, the sun will rise at 7:19 a.m. and will set at 7:33 p.m. giving 12
hours 13 minutes of daylight. (These
values are for Moncton, New Brunswick).
The days
are getting longer!
This Week's Planet
Roundup
Mercury
is hidden deep in the glow of sunrise.
Venus
(magnitude –3.9) blazes in the west during evening twilight as the unmistakable
"Evening Star."
Mars
is magnitude +1.3, less than 1% as bright as Venus. It's sinking farther and
farther below Venus in twilight — from 9° below it on March 13th to 12° below
Venus on the 20th.
Jupiter
(magnitude –2.4) shines high in the southeast as the stars come out. It's the
brightest point of light on that side of the sky. It passes highest in the south
at approximately 11 p.m.
Saturn
(magnitude +0.4) rises around 2 a.m.
It's highest in the south just as dawn
begins. Below or lower left of Saturn by 8°, look for orange
Antares.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
nelson@nb.sympatico.ca
