March typically will bring warmer weather in the Northern Hemisphere, however, if February was any indication of how March will be, we might be in for a few surprises! Hopefully you will be able to get outside and be able to view a few of the wonders of our solar system and galaxy.
Elusive Mercury will be found in the west after sunset. If you need help finding Mercury, just look for Venus and Mercury will be close by. It's best if you can get to dark sky site for viewing Mercury or you can use a pair of binoculars since Venus will steal the show with its brightness. By the 15th, Mercury will reach its greatest elongation for the year, positioning this tiny world the greatest distance from the Sun from our perspective. The position of Venus and Mercury will change nightly, so it might be worth viewing the pair over several nights. By the 18th, the Moon will join the pair of planets, creating a great view and photo opportunity if you are into astrophotography. Towards the end of the month, Uranus will also join these planets, though you will need a pair of binoculars or larger instrument to view it.
As you have probably noticed, Venus will also be visible after sunset in the west. It should be easy to spot since it will be the brightest natural object in the sky, not including the Moon of course. Using a pair of binoculars will reveal the phases of Venus, as well as aiding in spotting Mercury. They can both be found in the same field of view. As mentioned, on the 18th, the Moon will offer its company to these innermost planets and create a great photo opportunity for the astrophotographers among us. Venus and Uranus will have a conjunction on the evening of the 28th. The best chance of viewing the pair will be through binoculars or a larger instrument by simply locating Venus in your field of view and waiting for twilight to darken enough for Uranus to pop into view. The two planets will be found less than 1° apart, which is the closest they have been since 2003.
Mars will follow Jupiter's path in the morning sky, rising a few hours later. Mars is still working up to its best views in 15 years, but that shouldn't stop you from checking out the Red Planet. While the weather is warming up, it would be a great time to practice targeting this planet with your telescope. During the first few weeks, Mars will be found just 12° from Antares, the red supergiant star which represents the eye of Scorpius. By the end of the month, on the 31st, Mars will be found less than 2° away from Saturn.
The massive planet Jupiter will rise into view just before midnight. It will be easy to spot due to its brightness, which will only increase as the month wears on. Jupiter will offer excellent views this month if you are willing to wake up early to view it. The best time for viewing Jupiter, or any celestial object, is when it lies high in the sky so the Earth's atmosphere does not distort your view. Any size of telescope should show you the cloud bands of the planet as well as its four largest moons. You might even be able to see the Great Red Spot. Jupiter completes one rotation in less than 10 hours, so if you are unable to see this feature, just wait a little bit and it should come circling around. Colored filters for your eyepieces will greatly exaggerate the colors of the planet.
Saturn will also join Jupiter and Mars in the morning sky. Unfortunately, you will need a telescope to spot its rings and any surface detail. The ringed world won't shine as brightly as Jupiter and Mars, but can still be seen with the unaided eye. It can be found in the constellation of Sagittarius all month.
You will need binoculars or telescope to view our two most distant planets. Uranus will be easier to spot early on during the month when it lies around 20° high in the western sky. However, by the end of the month, on the 28th, it can be found close to Venus and might be easier to find by using a pair of binoculars and focusing on Venus. As the twilight glow fades, Uranus should pop into view. If you are lucky, you will be able to spot Neptune by months end, on the 31st, in the early morning sky. Twilight will likely be too bright for most of us, but during April, our most distant planet should be easier to spot.
The Moon is a great nightly target since its features appear to change depending on how much sunlight is being reflected. The Full Moon occurs on the 1st and again on the 31st, giving us our second Blue Moon of the year. The Full Moon is best viewed with the unaided eye or using an appropriate filter on your telescope. During the rest of the month, use a pair of binoculars, or even a telescope to enhance your views of the mountains and craters. It's always interesting to me to watch the shadows these features create on each other. The New Moon, which is the best time for viewing other nightly objects, occurs on the 17th.
March does not offer a major meteor shower, but does offer some of the best times for viewing the zodiacal light. The best times this month will be between the 3rd and 18th when the Moon will be found towards the opposite side of the sky. Go to a dark sky site and look west after the twilight fades away to see the gentle glow. As mentioned in earlier posts, the zodiacal light is caused by the sunlight being reflected by tiny dust particles found orbiting the Sun. This only happens during certain times of the year because of where the Earth lies in its orbit.
March 01: Full Moon
March 05: Mercury and Venus pass within 2°
March 07: Moon and Jupiter pass within 4°
March 09: Moon and Mars pass within 4°
March 10: Moon and Saturn pass within 2°
March 15: Mercury at greatest eastern elongation
March 17: New Moon
March 18: Moon and Mercury pass within 4°
March 28: Venus and Uranus less than 1° Binoculars!
March 31: Full Moon
Mercury
Elusive Mercury will be found in the west after sunset. If you need help finding Mercury, just look for Venus and Mercury will be close by. It's best if you can get to dark sky site for viewing Mercury or you can use a pair of binoculars since Venus will steal the show with its brightness. By the 15th, Mercury will reach its greatest elongation for the year, positioning this tiny world the greatest distance from the Sun from our perspective. The position of Venus and Mercury will change nightly, so it might be worth viewing the pair over several nights. By the 18th, the Moon will join the pair of planets, creating a great view and photo opportunity if you are into astrophotography. Towards the end of the month, Uranus will also join these planets, though you will need a pair of binoculars or larger instrument to view it.
Venus
As you have probably noticed, Venus will also be visible after sunset in the west. It should be easy to spot since it will be the brightest natural object in the sky, not including the Moon of course. Using a pair of binoculars will reveal the phases of Venus, as well as aiding in spotting Mercury. They can both be found in the same field of view. As mentioned, on the 18th, the Moon will offer its company to these innermost planets and create a great photo opportunity for the astrophotographers among us. Venus and Uranus will have a conjunction on the evening of the 28th. The best chance of viewing the pair will be through binoculars or a larger instrument by simply locating Venus in your field of view and waiting for twilight to darken enough for Uranus to pop into view. The two planets will be found less than 1° apart, which is the closest they have been since 2003.
Mars
Mars will follow Jupiter's path in the morning sky, rising a few hours later. Mars is still working up to its best views in 15 years, but that shouldn't stop you from checking out the Red Planet. While the weather is warming up, it would be a great time to practice targeting this planet with your telescope. During the first few weeks, Mars will be found just 12° from Antares, the red supergiant star which represents the eye of Scorpius. By the end of the month, on the 31st, Mars will be found less than 2° away from Saturn.
Jupiter
The massive planet Jupiter will rise into view just before midnight. It will be easy to spot due to its brightness, which will only increase as the month wears on. Jupiter will offer excellent views this month if you are willing to wake up early to view it. The best time for viewing Jupiter, or any celestial object, is when it lies high in the sky so the Earth's atmosphere does not distort your view. Any size of telescope should show you the cloud bands of the planet as well as its four largest moons. You might even be able to see the Great Red Spot. Jupiter completes one rotation in less than 10 hours, so if you are unable to see this feature, just wait a little bit and it should come circling around. Colored filters for your eyepieces will greatly exaggerate the colors of the planet.
Saturn
Saturn will also join Jupiter and Mars in the morning sky. Unfortunately, you will need a telescope to spot its rings and any surface detail. The ringed world won't shine as brightly as Jupiter and Mars, but can still be seen with the unaided eye. It can be found in the constellation of Sagittarius all month.
Uranus and Neptune
You will need binoculars or telescope to view our two most distant planets. Uranus will be easier to spot early on during the month when it lies around 20° high in the western sky. However, by the end of the month, on the 28th, it can be found close to Venus and might be easier to find by using a pair of binoculars and focusing on Venus. As the twilight glow fades, Uranus should pop into view. If you are lucky, you will be able to spot Neptune by months end, on the 31st, in the early morning sky. Twilight will likely be too bright for most of us, but during April, our most distant planet should be easier to spot.
The Moon
The Moon is a great nightly target since its features appear to change depending on how much sunlight is being reflected. The Full Moon occurs on the 1st and again on the 31st, giving us our second Blue Moon of the year. The Full Moon is best viewed with the unaided eye or using an appropriate filter on your telescope. During the rest of the month, use a pair of binoculars, or even a telescope to enhance your views of the mountains and craters. It's always interesting to me to watch the shadows these features create on each other. The New Moon, which is the best time for viewing other nightly objects, occurs on the 17th.
Zodiacal Light
March does not offer a major meteor shower, but does offer some of the best times for viewing the zodiacal light. The best times this month will be between the 3rd and 18th when the Moon will be found towards the opposite side of the sky. Go to a dark sky site and look west after the twilight fades away to see the gentle glow. As mentioned in earlier posts, the zodiacal light is caused by the sunlight being reflected by tiny dust particles found orbiting the Sun. This only happens during certain times of the year because of where the Earth lies in its orbit.
Monthly Breakdown
March 01: Full Moon
March 05: Mercury and Venus pass within 2°
March 07: Moon and Jupiter pass within 4°
March 09: Moon and Mars pass within 4°
March 10: Moon and Saturn pass within 2°
March 15: Mercury at greatest eastern elongation
March 17: New Moon
March 18: Moon and Mercury pass within 4°
March 28: Venus and Uranus less than 1° Binoculars!
March 31: Full Moon
News in Astronomy
The recent news that I found most interesting to share this month was a discovery made by Victor Buso, an amateur astronomer in Argentina. He was outside one evening in 2016 trying out his new camera on his 16 inch telescope (which isn't much larger than mine) which was pointed at spiral galaxy NGC 613. This galaxy is located about 80 million light years from Earth, in the southern hemisphere constellation of Sculptor.
While reviewing the pictures that he had taken, he noticed a star in one of the spiral arms brightening. He contacted local professional astronomers which reviewed his data and targeted NGC 613 with larger telescopes to confirm what he saw. Victor Buso is the first person in history to capture the point during a supernova called the "shock breakout", which is when a wave of energy from the star's core expands to its exterior just before explosion. Professional astronomers have been trying for decades to capture a supernova during this stage, but a supernova cannot be predicted, so to target the right place in the night sky takes luck. There are many stars in our own galaxy that are predicted to go supernova soon, including Betelgeuse, Rigel, and Antares, but this could happen tomorrow or not for another million years.
The full article, including images, can be found here!
This is just proof that while you think the stars and other things in the universe don't change much, you never know what you will see. You might just make the next biggest discovery!
While reviewing the pictures that he had taken, he noticed a star in one of the spiral arms brightening. He contacted local professional astronomers which reviewed his data and targeted NGC 613 with larger telescopes to confirm what he saw. Victor Buso is the first person in history to capture the point during a supernova called the "shock breakout", which is when a wave of energy from the star's core expands to its exterior just before explosion. Professional astronomers have been trying for decades to capture a supernova during this stage, but a supernova cannot be predicted, so to target the right place in the night sky takes luck. There are many stars in our own galaxy that are predicted to go supernova soon, including Betelgeuse, Rigel, and Antares, but this could happen tomorrow or not for another million years.
The full article, including images, can be found here!
This is just proof that while you think the stars and other things in the universe don't change much, you never know what you will see. You might just make the next biggest discovery!
Now get outside and look up!
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