Hi,

Here's a quick guide to the most interesting things you can see in the night sky this weekend.

Nothing complicated - just a few things worth looking up for.

Two bright planets are easy to spot this weekend.

Venus shines brilliantly in the western sky after sunset and is impossible to miss once the sky gets dark.

Jupiter appears nearby in the west-southwest as another bright, steady point of light.

Planets usually don't twinkle like stars, so if you see a very bright object with a steady glow, you're probably looking at one of them.

About 45-60 minutes after sunset

Visible with the naked eye, but binoculars make Jupiter even more interesting.

The Moon is currently waxing gibbous and about 80% illuminated this weekend.

That means it will be quite bright and may wash out faint deep-sky objects later in the night.

If you want darker skies for nebulae and galaxies, try observing earlier in the evening before the Moon climbs higher.

The bright Moon does make an excellent target for binoculars or a small telescope, especially along the line between the light and dark sides where craters appear most dramatic.

This beautiful region of space contains a young star cluster surrounded by a huge cloud of glowing gas.

Even if the nebula itself is faint under moonlight, the central cluster NGC 2244 is easy to see with binoculars or a small telescope.

Start with Orion, one of the easiest constellations to recognize.

From Orion's Belt, move your view east toward the area between Orion and Gemini.

A stargazing app like Stellarium or SkySafari can help pinpoint it quickly.

Best with binoculars or a small telescope

This is also a great beginner astrophotography target.

The nebula is large and can be captured with relatively simple equipment.

• Camera with a 100-150 mm lens

• A basic star tracker

• 30-60 second exposures, stacked later

Try photographing it after the Moon sets or when it's low in the sky to reduce moonlight.

With a bit of processing, the Rosette Nebula often reveals a beautiful reddish glow of hydrogen gas.

Orion remains one of the most recognizable constellations in the night sky.

Look toward the south-southeast after sunset and you'll easily spot Orion's three bright Belt stars in a straight line.

Just below the Belt is Orion's "sword."

The middle "star" in that sword is actually the Orion Nebula (M42) - a huge star-forming cloud that can appear as a faint fuzzy patch even to the naked eye under darker skies.

With binoculars or a telescope, it becomes one of the most spectacular objects in the winter sky.

There are no major meteor showers peaking this weekend.

A weak shower called the Xi Herculids was active earlier in March, but activity is now extremely low.

You might still catch an occasional meteor, but this weekend is better for planet watching and deep-sky observing.

Give your eyes time to adapt to the dark.

It usually takes 15-20 minutes for your night vision to fully develop. During that time, avoid bright lights and use a red flashlight if you need to read charts or adjust equipment.

Once your eyes adapt, you'll be surprised how many more stars suddenly appear.

Clear skies,

Paul

AstroPhotons.com

PS

If you enjoy this newsletter, feel free to share it with a friend who likes looking up at the night sky.