March Skies
A brief overview of what to see in the sky with the unaided eye during March evenings:
Stars and Constellations
Some prominent constellations visible in the evening sky are Leo and Ursa Major (containing the Big Dipper star group)
● Leo, rising higher in the southeastern sky, is dominated by the bright star Regulus
● The Big Dipper and Ursa Major are rising high in the northeastern sky
● The winter Milky Way and bright constellations of Gemini, Auriga and Orion are in the western sky
● East of Orion are the bright stars Sirius and Procyon with the constellations of Canis Major and Canis Minor, low in the southwestern sky
Planets
● Mercury appears in the evening sky by mid-March, well up in the western sky, and passes greatest eastern elongation March 24
● Venus continues to shine brightly low in the southeastern sky before sunrise
● Mars appears low in southeastern sky before sunrise, not far from Venus, but significantly fainter
● Jupiter shines brightly high in the western sky following sunset in the Aries constellation
● Saturn rises in the southeastern sky shortly before sunrise and will be difficult to spot until late March
Moon Phases
● Last Quarter Moon March 3, 10:23 EST
● New Moon March 10, 05:00 EDT
● First Quarter Moon March 17, 00:11 EDT
● Full Moon March 25, 03:00 EDT
Noteworthy Sky Events
● March 19: Spring equinox, 23:06 EDT
● March 21: Venus and Saturn appear very close together low in the southeastern sky before sunrise, with Mars a little to the west (upper right)
Sky Resources Online
Some website resources for sky charts, weekly sky events, and more information:
● astrogeo.ca/skylights
● www.heavens-above.com
● In-the-sky.org
● www.skyandtelescope.org
● www.skymaps.com
Star Chart for mid-March, mid-evening (courtesy of www.heavens-above.com):