Astronomical Society To Host March Viewing Night

March may be the month we pay most attention to our immediate surroundings – the (hopefully melting) snow, waking wildlife, chirping birds, bright blue skies and thawing harbors. We enthuse at the lengthening daylight. But when the sun falls beyond the horizon and the chill of the spring air sets in, there are few better times during the year to look up at the night sky.

Not only will the sun cross the celestial equator March 20, marking the start of spring, but there will also be amazing views of planets – Uranus, Mars, Saturn, Venus, Jupiter, and of course, the always beautiful moon, stars and constellations. It doesn’t take anything special to look up and behold these beautiful sights, though telescopes can enhance the experience.

On Saturday, March 21 at 7 pm, the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society (DPAS) will host its monthly viewing night at the Astronomy Campus of Crossroads at Big Creek, where several of the society’s members will be available to offer their insights and knowledge on the evening’s views.

“On viewing nights, provided the sky is clear, in addition to opening the observatory, members also bring their telescopes, binoculars, and laser pointers to provide visitors a tour of the night sky,” DPAS Board President Dave Udell said. “Pointing out the different constellations as well as other nebula, galaxies and planets is a great way to appreciate the night sky here in Door County.”

With each changing season comes a different perspective of the night sky “due to Earth’s orbit around the sun,” Udell explained, which offers skywatchers a different view of constellations and other objects.

“In March we still get a good view of the constellation Orion, which offers the red supergiant star Betelgeuse, as well as the Orion Nebula M42 and M43 where new stars are forming,” Udell said.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Greek mythology introduced Orion (“The Great Hunter”) as a giant and handsome hunter. Several different versions of his story exist, though it is said he was born of the earth “from a buried bull hide on which three gods had urinated.” He is often said to be the son of Poseidon and was blinded by the father of the woman he loved, Merope.

His vision was eventually restored by the rays of the sun and he continued to live as a hunter until his death, which has its own series of accounts, from being murdered to stepping on a scorpion. He is best identified by his belt of three stars and the constellation represents his club, lion’s skin, sword and belt.

Within the constellation Cassiopeia (“The Queen”), there will also be a delightful surprise for astronomy enthusiasts.

“For the next couple weeks, the Comet Lovejoy will still be visible in the constellation Cassiopeia,” Udell said.

According to the Sky & Telescope website, the long-period Comet Lovejoy is bright and “easier than ever to find” this time of year. Amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy discovered five of these comets during the past few years and the most recently visible one is the fifth Comet Lovejoy, C/2014 Q2 (discovered in August 2014).

Monthly viewing nights have been a tradition at Crossroads since 1997 as a way to offer the public an opportunity to see the county’s beautiful skies while also getting excited about science, Crossroads at Big Creek Director Coggin Heeringa said. It is also a way to draw attention to one of Door County’s best attributes – the darkness of the sky.

“We don’t have light pollution. You can’t see these stars where there are big cities,” Heeringa said. “It changes the way you look at the night sky. Once you’ve been out there seeing the things through a telescope, actually seeing the moons of Jupiter … it really opens your eyes to the sky.”

The March 21 Viewing Night begins at 7pm at Crossroads at Big Creek, 2014 Michigan St. in Sturgeon Bay, and will only be held if the sky is clear. Check for updates at CrossroadsAtBigCreek.com. Other scheduled Viewing Nights in 2015 are: April 18, May 16, Aug. 15 at Whitefish Dunes, Aug. 21 at Potawatomi State Park, Sept. 19, Oct. 17, Nov. 21 and Dec. 19. Viewing Nights are free and open to the public. For more information on the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society, visit DoorAstronomy.org.