0:03 → 0:07
A Sunset Sky Show
0:09 → 0:13
presented by Science@NASA.
0:14 → 0:19
For a beautiful sky show, go for a sunset walk on March 18th.
0:19 → 0:25
You’ll need an unobstructed view of the western horizon for the evening’s treat so climb a hill,
0:25 → 0:30
see if you can catch a glimpse from the top of a parking garage or perch on a balcony.
0:30 → 0:33
Gaze westward toward the faint remaining glow.
0:33 → 0:42
About a half hour after sunset, just to the left of ever-resplendent Venus, an eyelash sliver of Moon will appear.
0:42 → 0:50
The Moon will be hovering less than 8 degrees, about the width of your fist at arm’s length, above the twilight horizon.
0:50 → 1:00
Look closely, and you can also pick out Mercury about 4 degrees, less than the width of three fingers at arm’s length, to the right of Venus.
1:00 → 1:10
A word to the wise: Don’t wait too long after sunset, or you’ll miss the show, as this trio will set a little more than an hour after sunset.
1:11 → 1:14
You might need binoculars to view this lovely lineup of three.
1:14 → 1:24
But if you have very clear skies, especially if you’re in the northern latitudes, you might be able to see the threesome with the naked eye as twilight falls.
1:24 → 1:30
“The crescent Moon will look like a bowl or a smile nearly parallel with the horizon,” says Gordon Johnston,
1:30 → 1:36
a Planetary Science Program Executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC.
1:36 → 1:40
“In traditional Hawaiian mythology, this is called a Wet Moon,
1:40 → 1:45
with the bowl of the Wet Moon holding water and spilling it out later when the crescent Moon tips,
1:45 → 1:48
and the summer rains start.
1:48 → 1:53
It is also called a Cheshire Moon, named after the smile of the Cheshire Cat,
1:53 → 1:57
from Lewis Carroll’s novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
1:58 → 2:03
The Cheshire Cat can “disappear,” leaving only its smile behind.
2:03 → 2:10
Don’t forget to look up on the evening of March 18th before this sky show of subtle beauty vanishes from view.
2:10 → 2:17
For more on viewing celestial objects both near and far, visit science.nasa.gov.