Venus, Jupiter, Mercury west after sunset. Also, zodiacal light!Venus, Jupiter, Mercury west after sunset. Also, zodiacal light! 12Mar09_430 Tonight for March 9, 2012

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Venus, Jupiter, Mercury west after sunset. Also, zodiacal light!

Tonight for March 9, 2012

After the sun sets in March 2012, you will surely see two bright planets near each other in the western sky. They are Venus and Jupiter, still edging closer together in the dusk. Wow! What a sight. You might also see the elusive planet Mercury – and the even more elusive zodiacal light – in the western sky, if you are looking in a place where you can see the horizon. For those living in the Northern Hemisphere, Mercury is nearing the end of its best evening apparition of the year. Meanwhile, the zodiacal light is best in the evening, from Northern Hemisphere locations, at this time of year. Tonight, at mid-northern latitudes, Mercury sets at about the time that dusk ends and zodiacal light begins.

Zodiacal light seenfrom Paranal. Image Credit: Wikipedia Commons

Find the zodiacal light. If you have a dark, moonless sky, the zodiacal light can be seen in the west about 90 to 120 minutes after sunset through March and April. This observation is not for city dwellers, but if you find yourself beneath a dark country sky – or perhaps driving along a country road at dusk – look westward after sunset for this cone of light extending up from the western horizon. Refer to the brilliant planets Jupiter and Venus, for it’s in this part of the sky that you’ll see the zodiacal light.
Everything you need to know about zodiacal light or false dusk
Zodiacal light looks like a large but faint milky-colored pyramid of light with its apex reaching perhaps halfway up the sky. It is caused by sunlight reflecting off interplanetary dust particles that orbit the sun within the inner solar system. People at mid-northern latitudes can see the zodiacal light after dusk at present because the ecliptic – the plane of the solar system – hits the horizon at a particularly steep angle on late winter evenings. The farther south you live within the Northern Hemisphere’s temperate zone, the more likely you are to spot the zodiacal light.
Find the elusive planet Mercury. To find Mercury, look first for the blazing planets Venus and Jupiter at dusk. Mercury sits below these worlds, appearing over the sunset point on the horizon about 45 to 75 minutes after the sun goes down. Mercury shines as brightly as a 1st-magnitude star, but its luster is tarnished by the twilight glare. If you can’t see Mercury with the eye alone, then try binoculars. At mid-northern latitudes, Mercury sets about 80 minutes after the sun.
Top tips for using ordinary binoculars for stargazing
You won’t see the zodiacal light until the sky is completely dark, so Mercury will be setting as this astronomical wonder comes into view.
2012 guide to the five visible planets
Don’t know sunset time? Try a sky almanac
Bottom line: In March 2012, we are seeing the planets Jupiter and Venus in the west after sunset. They are very bright – an amazing sight. You can also still find the innermost planet Mercury below Venus and Jupiter. It is nearing the end of its evening apparition – so look soon! On moonless nights in March and April 2012, look in the west – in the direction of the dazzling planets Jupiter and Venus – for the mysterious zodiacal light! Although the planets can be seen from the city, viewing the zodiacal light requires a country location.

 http://earthsky.org