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| THE COLONY NEWS | MARCH 2024 | 19 | THE COLONY NEWS | MARCH 2024 | 19 In Memoriam Ronald Conti Norma Goodreau Bill Ingle Susie Lowey Evelyn Page Dee Smith Char J Thielen By Mike Vergara, 951-473-5806 In February, the news said that famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow, so we are in for an early spring. That's ok! There's still time to get out and observe two really beautiful objects before they are gone for the season. Almost everyone knows the constellation of Orion, the supernatural hunter of ancient Greek legend. When you look at Orion, if his sword looks fuzzy there's nothing wrong with your eyesight. Most of Orion's sword is a giant nebula known as The Great Orion Nebula. "Nebula" is a Latin word which translates to "cloud" or "mist," and that is an accurate description of what you see when you look at this object. It is easily observable with binoculars and is bright enough that you may even be able to see some of the colors of the clouds. Also known by its catalog identifier as "Messier 42" (or M42), the nebula is an interstellar nursery over 1,300 light-years away where baby stars are being formed. There is a cluster of stars in the nebula's core called the Trapezium, and it's this group of stars that illuminates the gases of the nebula. The other object I like to view is the cluster of stars called The Pleiades. Also known as Messier 45 (M45) or the Seven Sisters, there are over 100 stars in this cluster but only the seven brightest are easily visible, so they were the only ones given names. These stars are hot, bright, blue and beautiful. The March equinox, which defines the start of spring, happens on Tuesday, March 19. This year's Full Worm Moon will occur on Monday, March 25. On the night of the full moon, it will also be partially obscured by the Earth's shadow in what's known as a "penumbral lunar eclipse." The moon will only darken slightly since it will not be completely shadowed by the Earth. To find where the planets and constellations are, visit http://skymaps.com/index.html. From there you can print your own map of the sky for the month. Clear skies! march Sky march Sky