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A Sunset Sky Show – presented by Science@NASA  

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For a beautiful sky show, go for a sunset walk on March 18th.

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You’ll need an unobstructed view of the western horizon for the evening’s treat so climb a hill,

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see if you can catch a glimpse from the top of a parking garage or perch on a balcony.

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Gaze westward toward the faint remaining glow. About a half hour after sunset,

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just to the left of ever-resplendent Venus, an eyelash sliver of Moon will appear.

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The Moon will be hovering less than 8 degrees, about the width of your fist at arm’s length,

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above the twilight horizon. Look closely, and you can also pick out Mercury about 4 degrees,

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less than the width of three fingers at arm’s length, to the right of Venus.

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(A word to the wise: Don’t wait too long after sunset, or you’ll miss the show,

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as this trio will set a little more than an hour after sunset.)

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You might need binoculars to view this lovely lineup of three.

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But if you have very clear skies, especially if you’re in the northern latitudes,

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you might be able to see the threesome with the naked eye as twilight falls.

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“The crescent Moon will look like a bowl or a smile nearly parallel with the horizon,”

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says Gordon Johnston, a Planetary Science Program Executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC.

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“In traditional Hawaiian mythology, this is called a Wet Moon,

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with the bowl of the Wet Moon holding water and spilling it out later

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when the crescent Moon tips and the summer rains start.

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It is also called a Cheshire Moon, named after the smile of the Cheshire Cat

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from Lewis Carroll’s novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”

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The Cheshire Cat can “disappear,” leaving only its smile behind.

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Don’t forget to look up on the evening of March 18th

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before this sky show of subtle beauty vanishes from view.

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For more on viewing celestial objects both near and far, visit science.nasa.gov.