Astronomers recently found a world that may be similar to Tatooine, the home of Luke Skywalker. Known as Bebop 3b, it orbits both stars in a binary system, giving it double sunsets. The system is high overhead at nightfall, but too faint to see without a telescope.
Weekly Stargazing Tips
Provided by StarDate.org. Unless otherwise specified, viewing times are local time regardless of time zone, and are good for the entire Lower 48 states (and, generally, for Alaska and Hawaii).
March 27: Circumbinary Planet
March 28: Hercules Rising
Hercules climbs into prominence during spring. Most of its stars clear the northeastern horizon by about 11 p.m. Look for a pattern of four moderately bright stars that looks like a shield. This pattern, the Keystone, represents the strongman's body.
March 29: Moon and Regulus
The star Regulus leads the Moon across the sky tonight. The bright heart of the lion is close to the upper right of the Moon at nightfall, with the gap increasing as the hours roll by.
March 30: Algieba
One of the most beautiful double stars is Algieba, in Leo, the lion, a constellation that is prominent during spring. Seen through a telescope, both of Algieba's stars shine golden yellow.
March 31: Shining Through
For skywatchers, tonight is a time for old friends. There's an almost-full Moon, so its glare overpowers most of the stars. But the brightest, most-familiar stars shine through. That includes the stars of the Big Dipper, which are in the northeast at nightfall.
April 1: Morning Mercury
Mercury is just peeking into view in the dawn sky. The little planet is in the east in the waxing twilight, and looks like a bright star. But because of the angle at which it rises, it's hard to spot. The view is best from south of about Dallas.
April 2: Moon and Spica
Spica, the brightest star of Virgo, rises just above the Moon early this evening. Spica consists of two big, heavy stars. The primary star is about 10 times the mass of the Sun, while the other is about seven times the Sun's mass.