EarthSky News - March 11 - Moon and Saturn Before Dawn

March 11 Moon and Saturn Before Dawn

Moon, Saturn, star Antares before dawn You can't miss the planet and star near the waning gibbous moon this week.  Saturn shines steadily with a golden hue, while Antares sparkles and is red. Night launch of MMS spacecraft on Thursday This stack of four identical spacecraft will study Earth's magnetosphere - the comet-shaped magnetic shield that protects us from space weather. Good news! Young tortoises spotted on Galapagos Island Tortoise hatchlings spotted on the island of Pinzón last year are the first to have survived there in more than a century. Milky Way has 3 more satellite galaxies At least!  Six other objects could be either dwarf galaxies or globular clusters. These humble Milky Way satellites are a key to the dark matter puzzle. Visit the EarthSky store Help support EarthSky, and get tips and tools for astronomy. Star of the week:  Alphard is the Snake's Heart You can see Alphard - the Heart of the constellation Hydra the Water Snake - in the evening in March, April, and May.

TODAY'S IMAGE Saturn, Antares and the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex Photo by Navaneeth Unnikrishnan. Don't miss the moon in this part of the sky this week!