President’s Message – March 2012

Posted by as President's Message

I hope everybody has been looking up recently. What a show our skies are giving us (if and when the rains cease)! It’s too bad that the skies have not been clearer to see the aurora just lately from the increased solar activity but this spring’s dance of the planets has been good enough to make up for it. Jupiter and Venus are closing in to each other in the south west each night. Mars is shining red in the east. If you were quick enough or lucky enough to have a good western horizon you were even able to see Mercury for a while. No wonder it’s named after the fleet-footed winged messenger. And, of course, the wonderful views of Saturn are just beginning, if you can keep awake long enough to see it rise around midnight. People are fascinated by what is going on and if you happen to be out with friends in the evenings, take time to point out the planets and tell them a little bit about them. It’s an easy way to do sidewalk astronomy.