March 3
Calm Waters South
Sun Position
The Sun is in Pisces at roughly +8° declination; the Northern Hemisphere is accelerating toward the equinox, while Southern Hemisphere skywatchers move deeper into autumn twilight.
Sky Highlight
Carina rides high in southern skies in early March evenings, making this an excellent window for Southern Hemisphere observers to study the Carina Nebula (NGC 3372) and its surroundings, one of the largest and brightest nebulae in the sky, invisible from most of Europe and North America.
Deep Sky Object
NGC 3372 (Carina Nebula), a massive emission nebula about 7,500 light-years away in Carina, spanning over four times the apparent diameter of the full Moon; it contains Eta Carinae, one of the most luminous and unstable stars known. Visible to the naked eye from southern latitudes (roughly below +20°); invisible from northern Europe.
Featured Star
Miaplacidus (β Car) is a white subgiant 113 light-years away with a spectral class of A2IV, the second-brightest star in the keel of the Argo after Canopus. Its name, from Arabic and Latin roots meaning 'calm waters,' fits a star that burns steadily against the turbulent backdrop of the Carina Nebula.
Around This Date
- March 3, 1959Pioneer 4 became the first US spacecraft to escape Earth's gravity and enter a heliocentric orbit, passing the Moon at a distance of about 60,000 km.
- March 3, 1972Pioneer 10 (launched the previous day) began its journey that would eventually carry it beyond all the planets, its position still tracked decades later.
A quiet white star in the keel of a mythic ship, steady above the southern horizon while the nebula behind it burns.