There is no doubt that the planet Venus dominates the western sky at sunset. In fact, Venus will dominate the western sky most of this spring. The bright, distinct winter objects are bidding us adieu as the constellations Taurus and Orion, the mighty star Sirius, and the planet Saturn head down in the west.

Replacing them are the milder constellations of the Spring. During Spring we are looking straight up out of the disk of our galaxy where we see few bright stars. While this is a good time to look for other galaxies, you will need a moderate sized telescope to make out much detail.

Leo the Lion looks down on us as we begin to stir from our winter hibernation. An hour after sundown you will find a bright red object low in the East. This is the planet Mars and by the end of the month it will be brighter and appear larger than it has for the last nine years. The big dipper is upside down and almost overhead during the month.

Daylight savings time starts today, so now it will be darker in the morning and lighter in the evenings.

The Moon continues to dominate the year of 1999. After already having two "blue" Moons this year, the Moon will pass in front of (occult) the bright, red star Albedaran about 9:30 p.m. on Sunday the night of the 18th.

I enjoy looking at the Moon even without a telescope although I do have trouble seeing the "man in the Moon" or the "rabbit." Pick your favorite historical or religious figure and consider the fact that they saw the same Moon the same way you do now. You may not be able to walk the same roads they did but you can see the same Moon.

From a scientific point of view, the Moon only has two effects on Earth organisms. It gives different amounts of light (depending on its phase) and it has a gravitational force which causes the tides. The tides are caused because the force of the Moon's gravity is stronger on the side of the Earth closer to the Moon and less on the side most distant. This tidal bulge then always points at the Moon while the Earth rotates under it causing the tides to be associated with the phases of the Moon.

Smaller objects, like us, don't feel the tides because the forces on our fronts and backs are basically the same because of our small dimensions.

But a good ear around town can also learn other theories about the Moon's influence. If you didn't plant your potatoes on St. Patrick's day the Farmer's Almanac says to plant below-ground crops on April 3, 4, 12, or 13. If you want to start your diet or to wean livestock, do so on the 10th or 14th. And the best days to go fishing are on the 5th and 6th.

Many others assert that people are a little more crazy (the word lunatic is based on the root word luna, meaning moon) near the Full Moon. Science has never accepted these other theories because the fact is the person standing next to you has more of a gravitational affect on you than the distant moon does.

When it comes time to plow my garden or plant my seeds it seems I worry more about the weather than the Moon. But then again, my garden doesn't always do very well.

Oh well, I can always blame it on the Moon.

~Dr. Michael Cobb is an astronomer and chairman of the physics department at Southeast Missouri State University.