Well February has rushed past but is leaving us with both clear skies and some optimism that we might be able to begin planning for a resumption of our Society meetings later in the year.

Our Society meets once a month, on a Friday evening, at Beckington Baptist Church Hall. Please keep an eye on this article, our Facebook page and www.beckingtonas.org for details of when we shall be starting our 2021/22 season.

March starts with a continued focus on The Pleiades open cluster. On the 3rd March, Mars will be at its closest to the cluster, the separation distance being less than 3º. Binoculars are perfect for viewing this conjunction.

On the next evening, the 4th, our attention turns to Vesta. Not the "exotic" boil in a bag meals that my Mum bought in the 70's but rather an asteroid or minor planet. Vesta is one of the largest objects in the asteroid belt with a diameter of approximately 525 km. it is the brightest asteroid in the sky although at this time it will be a magnitude of +5.9. You'll need dark skies (low light pollution) to see it but if you are in such conditions you can find it in the constellation of Leo. Again, using binoculars you should be able to observe it. First find the star, Zosma, which is at the tail end of Leo's back. Leo will appear in the south east and Vesta will be below Zosma, travelling west as the month progresses. This movement will help distinguish Vesta from the nearby stars so check on a number of evenings to make sure you have properly identified the asteroid.

On Sunday 7th the Moon will appear close to Lagoon Nebula, (M8). In the early morning the Moon will be 1.5º south south east of the nebula. You'll need a flat southeast horizon to have a chance of observing this. Unfortunately it won't appear to be quite as colourful as in the image shown here.

Recent nights have been clear but the Moon has been so bright that observing deep sky objects has been more difficult. By the 12th the moon will be out of the evening sky and it will be a good time, weather permitting, to view objects such as the Beehive Cluster, M44. Look due south at 21.30 for a good view of this open cluster in the constellation of Cancer. The Beehive is one of the nearest open clusters to Earth and contains a larger number of stars than the other relatively close clusters. It has been known since the Ancient Greeks and was one of the first objects that Galileo observed with his telescope.

The Moon returns to the evening sky on the 14th. A very thin (1.8% lit) waxing crescent should be visible soon after sunset, low above the western horizon. Please make sure the sun has properly set before trying to observe the moon.

On 20th March at 09.37 the Sun crosses the celestial equator. The marks the spring or vernal equinox. After the equinox, the northern hemisphere of the Earth is tilted more towards the sun, resulting in longer periods of daylight and warming temperatures (hopefully!)

Enjoy the March sky, hopefully in clear and warming weather!