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Dark Sky Maine presents
February and March Night Sky Highlights

The Green Comet and More!

Comet c/2022 E3 (ZTF) aka “The Green Comet” photographed by John T. Meader on Jan. 25, 2023.

February and March Sky Highlights

By Richard Luecke

February’s big treat will be Comet C/2022 V3 (ZTF), the much publicized “Green Comet.” Have you seen it yet? After a long presence in the pre-dawn firmament, it has now moved into good observing position in the evening sky. Moonlight will be a problem until February 9, but after that C/2022 V3 should be easy to spot, assuming that it hasn’t faded. On the nights of February 10 and 11, it and bright orange Mars, in Taurus, will share the same binocular/finder scope field of view (see below). And on the 14th it will be practically cheek to jowl with Aldebaran and continue on a southerly trajectory. By February 20 it will be just west of Orion’s outstretched shield.

Will it be naked-eye bright, as earlier forecasted, or will it dim through February? Time will tell.

Sky Safari screenshot for 8 pm, 10 February, 2023.

As February gives way to March, the hook-shaped backward question mark that identifies the front end of the constellation Leo, will rise into the eastern sky—a sure sign that winter is on the way out! Just to the right of the question mark’s top is the stunning spiral galaxy NGC 2903, one of the brightest in the northern sky. At 8.8 magnitude even small scopes and can see this one. A large scope will reveal its spiral arms. So give it a try.

Above: Sky Safari screen shot for 1 March 2023, 8 pm. Below: the galaxy NGC 2903.

NGC 2903 is a spiral galaxy that was discovered by William Herschel in 1784 and is 20 million light years away. It’s 60,000 light years in diameter with about 80 billion solar masses, making it a smaller galaxy than Milky Way. A grand sight indeed.

Spring Equinox Virtual Star Party
Tuesday March 21, 2023, 7-8 p.m.

Join Dark Sky Maine for our annual Spring Equinox Virtual Star Party on Zoom.

The evening’s presenters have yet to be finalized. We’ll send out another email in early March to give you all the details.

Register by sending an email requesting to join the Spring Equinox Star Party to darkskymaine@gmail.com. An optional $5 donation is suggested, simply visit darkskymaine.com/donate. Thanks for supporting Maine’s dark sky heritage. We’ll send you a Zoom link a day to so before the event.

Exploring the Spring Sky Class
March 8, 15, 22, and 29, 2023, 7-8 pm. ($60 donation)

Join DSM’s Vice President and Northern Stars Planetarium Director John Meader for a four week long class exploring the stars, constellations, planets, and deep space wonders of the spring sky.

To register: donate $60 at darkskymaine.com/donate, then email darkskymaine@gmail.com and say that you’ve made your donation and would like to join the Exploring the Spring Sky class. John will send a syllabus and Zoom link to you a few days before the first class session.

Dark Sky Maine

Help keep Maine’s skies the darkest in the eastern United States. Donate to Dark Sky Maine and help us keep our skies dark and full of stars.

Dark Sky Maine, a 501c3 nonprofit, promotes an appreciation of the night sky through education and by supporting measures that use appropriate lighting to provide security on the ground, promote the health of humans and nocturnal wildlife, while maintaining dark skies overhead.

Thank you for your support!

Learn more at: DarkSkyMaine.com

darkskymaine@gmail.com