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The Sharpless Catalog


Planets In The Sky

Below is a table and information about the planets and where they are in the sky. It includes rise and set times, distances, magnitude, position in the sky, and more. This information updates every hour. You can change the date for the information, however, the text description is for the current month.  

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Planet Infomation on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 for TUCSON 

MERCURY  Mercury is in conjunction with the sun on March 14th but climbs rather quickly. You may be able to spot the small planet sometime after the first day of spring. As March comes to a close, it will only be 3 degrees away from our sister planet Venus. This will be Mercury’s best evening appearance in 2010 as it reaches greatest elongation during the first week of April
 
Constellation Aquarius    RA Position 23 hr 8 min
Distance from Sun 36,132,702 Miles    Dec Position -7° 36'
Distance from Earth 127,603,967 Miles    Magnitude -1
Light Travel Time 0 hr 11 min    Rise Time 6:36 AM
Phase 99%    Transit Time 12:21 PM
Angular Size 4.91 sec of arc    Set Time 6:01 PM
VENUS  Venus can be spotted in the evening sky this month but is very low so a clear western horizon is needed but is getting higher each day. As bring as Venus shines it is only at a -3.9 magnitude. This is because the planet is in a near full phase and about as far as it can get from Earth, which will be changing during the next few months. Venus will be the star of the evening sky this year.
 
Constellation Pices    RA Position 0 hr 13 min
Distance from Sun 67,421,532 Miles    Dec Position 0° 6'
Distance from Earth 153,444,147 Miles    Magnitude -4
Light Travel Time 0 hr 13 min    Rise Time 7:21 AM
Phase 97%    Transit Time 1:26 PM
Angular Size 10.25 sec of arc    Set Time 7:25 PM
MARS  Mars is still in great viewing position since opposition. The planet is around -1.2 and stands out very will in the dim constellation of Cancer. During this time the northern ice cap is pointed toward earth and it the easiest feature to pick up now. Using a light red filter will help bring out details on the surface.

 
Constellation Cancer    RA Position 8 hr 13 min
Distance from Sun 154,726,724 Miles    Dec Position 23° 39'
Distance from Earth 77,357,021 Miles    Magnitude -1
Light Travel Time 0 hr 6 min    Rise Time 2:16 PM
Phase 95%    Transit Time 9:24 PM
Angular Size 11.25 sec of arc    Set Time 4:31 AM
JUPITER  Jupiter emerges into the dawn sky just before sunrise as March comes to a close. If you are up view the planet against the bright dawn sky. This will create a better view of the large planet by giving it more contrast.

 
Constellation Aquarius    RA Position 22 hr 55 min
Distance from Sun 464,057,841 Miles    Dec Position -7° 54'
Distance from Earth 555,530,270 Miles    Magnitude -2
Light Travel Time 0 hr 49 min    Rise Time 6:24 AM
Phase 100%    Transit Time 12:08 PM
Angular Size 32.94 sec of arc    Set Time 5:47 PM
SATURN  Saturn reaches opposition this month around the first day of spring and is visible all night long. Still in the constellation of Virgo and since the ring system is still very thin, only 3 degrees line of slight, the small moons can easily be seen in just about any size telescope.
 
Constellation Virgo    RA Position 12 hr 12 min
Distance from Sun 883,789,064 Miles    Dec Position 1° 28'
Distance from Earth 793,478,095 Miles    Magnitude 1
Light Travel Time 1 hr 10 min    Rise Time 7:15 PM
Phase 100%    Transit Time 1:22 AM
Angular Size 19.41 sec of arc    Set Time 7:29 AM
URANUS  Uranus is in conjunction with the sun
 
Constellation Pices    RA Position 23 hr 47 min
Distance from Sun 1,869,841,250 Miles    Dec Position -2° 7'
Distance from Earth 1,961,326,813 Miles    Magnitude 6
Light Travel Time 2 hr 55 min    Rise Time 7:01 AM
Phase 100%    Transit Time 1:00 PM
Angular Size 3.12 sec of arc    Set Time 6:54 PM
NEPTUNE  Neptune pops into the morning sky but the dawn sky will be too bright in order to spot it, later in spring will be a better time to spend with the most distant planet.
 
Constellation Capricornus    RA Position 21 hr 57 min
Distance from Sun 2,796,772,475 Miles    Dec Position -12° 54'
Distance from Earth 2,881,662,321 Miles    Magnitude 8
Light Travel Time 4 hr 17 min    Rise Time 5:39 AM
Phase 100%    Transit Time 11:10 AM
Angular Size 2.01 sec of arc    Set Time 4:37 PM
PLUTO  Pluto rises just before sunrise and gives observers a chance to see the tiny dwarf planet before the dawn sky gets too bright.
 
Constellation Sagittarius    RA Position 18 hr 18 min
Distance from Sun 3,046,962,595 Miles    Dec Position -17° 48'
Distance from Earth 3,025,444,401 Miles    Magnitude 14
Light Travel Time 4 hr 30 min    Rise Time 2:13 AM
Phase 100%    Transit Time 7:28 AM
Angular Size 0.25 sec of arc    Set Time 12:45 PM