Morning Planets

The best planetary show this month is in the morning. The assembly of nearly all the visible planets will change through the coming mornings.
The bright planets Mars and Saturn appear so close together low in the southeastern sky you may miss it.

Look first for Venus hovering above the southeastern horizon, in the morning twilight. Look about an hour before sunrise. Then turn slightly to the left for Mars and Saturn, about equal in brightness. On Tuesday morning, the two planets will be the closest together, about a half a degree apart.

That means that you can miss it, they are so close. Through a telescope, if you use low power, you can see the two together in the field of view. Saturn will be distinct with its rings and Mars is so nearby.

The show continues in the mornings ahead. By mid-April there will be a handsome looking lineup of the following planets, across the eastern sky, before dawn. There will be Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn.
 

Sunrise and Sunset
Day Sunrise Sunset
Fri., April 1 6:25 7:06
Sat., April 2 6:23 7:07
Sun., April 3 6:21 7:08
Mon., April 4 6:20 7:09
Tues., April 5 6:18 7:10
Wed., April 6 6:16 7:12
Thurs., April 7 6:15 7:13
Fri., April 8 6:13 7:14
Temperatures and Precipitations
Day Max (Fº) Min (Fº) Inches
March 25 52 39 0.62
March 26 53 38 0.00
March 27 56 38 0.02
March 28 51 25 0.00
March 29 34 19 0.00
March 30 39 25 0.00
March 31 52 35 T

 

Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 44º F

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