Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Bright Moon near Regulus (all night)

Once the sky begins to darken on Tuesday, March 11, the bright, white star Regulus, which marks the heart of Leo, the Lion will appear several finger widths below the bright, waxing gibbous moon - close enough for them to share the view in binoculars. Early risers on Wednesday morning can look above the western horizon to see the moon shining much closer to the star. Also designated Alpha Leonis, Regulus' position less than one degree north of the ecliptic (green line) causes it to be occasionally occulted by the moon and planets. The white, B-class star is located 79 light-years away from our sun.

Two Shadows Cross Jupiter

From time to time, observers with good quality telescopes can watch the small, round, black shadows of the Galilean moons traverse Jupiter's disk. On Tuesday evening, March 11, sky-watchers located in the Americas can watch two shadows cross the southern hemisphere of Jupiter together for about two hours. At
10:42 p.m. Eastern Time (or 02:42 UT on Wednesday), the large shadow of Ganymede will join the smaller shadow of Europa, which began its own crossing of the planet half an hour earlier. Both shadows will leave Jupiter in rapid succession starting at 12:46 a.m. EDT (or 04:46 UT on Wednesday).

(Data courtesy of Starry Night)
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