March 16
Golden Pair
Sun Position
The Sun is in Pisces at roughly +15° declination; the Northern Hemisphere equinox is now only days away, and days are clearly running ahead of nights across the mid-latitudes.
Sky Highlight
Leo's Sickle is well-placed in the south from northern mid-latitudes on March evenings, a good window to observe Algieba, which even a small telescope at moderate magnification will split into its two golden components, one of the more rewarding double-star views of the spring sky.
Deep Sky Object
M96 (NGC 3368), a spiral galaxy in Leo about 31 million light-years away, the brightest member of the M96 Group, which also contains M95 and M105; all three fit within a binocular field on a clear night. Visible from both hemispheres in spring.
Featured Star
Algieba (γ Leo) is a gravitationally bound pair of giants 130 light-years away, an orange giant (K1IIIb) and a yellow giant (G7IIIb), orbiting each other with a period of about 510 years. Their warm golden colors are distinct even in a small telescope, and a planet has been detected in orbit around the primary, making this double system also a confirmed exoplanet host.
Around This Date
- March 16, 1926Robert H. Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled rocket in Auburn, Massachusetts, a flight of 2.5 seconds that reached a height of about 12 meters and covered 56 meters.
- March 16, 1966Gemini 8 launched carrying Neil Armstrong and David Scott, achieving the first successful docking of two spacecraft in orbit (with an Agena target vehicle) before an emergency forced early re-entry.
Two gold giants, 510 years per orbit, 130 light-years away, and somewhere in that system, a planet is tracing its own quiet circle.