The moon is a waning crescent. Enjoy the dark evening sky for the next week while the moon is not around — the new moon in Tucson arrives on Tuesday, March 8.
At 8 p.m. Thursday, March 3, look to the east to see bright Jupiter 17 degrees above the horizon. On Tuesday, March 8, Jupiter will be at opposition (exactly 180 degrees away from the sun).
Jupiter is at its brightest and visible all night long. A small telescope will show the four brightest moons of Jupiter and cloud bands in its atmosphere. After enjoying Jupiter, look south to see Orion the Hunter and below him Canis Major, his faithful dog, with the sky’s brightest star Sirius. Look south, and five degrees above the horizon is Canopus the second brightest star in the sky.
