Introduction
February brought a few nights of cold, clear skies and a few strong winter storms in Utah. I was unable to get to a dark sky to view the zodiacal light this month, but March will offer the opportunity to see this faint light. During the clear evenings of February, I was able to watch the ISS fly overhead, gaze upon Orion, Taurus, and the Pleiades, and watch the changing phases of the Moon. During the cold, often freezing, morning hours, I was able to continue to watch the changing Moon phases and look up at contrasting Venus and Mars. The clear mornings also brought the opportunity to view the Bands of Venus in the west just before sunrise.
March will allow observers to continue to view the same objects that February offered, but will hopefully bring warmer temperatures. According to the current weather forecast, this month will start off stormy, but will hopefully provide some clear, warm nights as well. Unfortunately, March will not bring any major meteor showers, but observers will be able to view the normal amount of background meteors which is about seven per hour. The zodiacal light will also be able to be seen during the Moon-free evenings. Mercury, Venus, and Saturn will have conjunctions this month, as well as Jupiter and Mercury. This month, the Sun will be directly over the equator, creating equal amounts of daylight and nighttime; the vernal equinox.
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| Mercury |
Mercury can be seen during the first two weeks of March in the morning sky. On the second, Mercury and Saturn will be close together, with Mercury shining brighter than the ringed planet. These two planets will rise above the mountains between 6:00 and 6:30 in the morning. The glow of the morning Sun will overwhelm this duo around 7:00. Mercury will move closer to the Sun as Saturn moves farther away. The innermost planet will reach superior conjunction with the Sun in April.
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| Venus |
Venus, along with Mars, will rise about two hours before the Sun on the first morning of the month. This pair of planets will be between 4° and 5° apart monthlong. Venus will be much easier to spot due to its brightness. Near the middle of the month, Saturn will begin to become noticeable before sunrise and will travel farther west in the morning sky as the month continues to meet up with Mars and Venus. On the 24th and 25th, these planets will create a triangle, with Venus at the top. These three planets will be joined by the thin crescent Moon on the morning of the 28th. This trio of planets along with the crescent Moon will create a spectacular image for those with the appropriate gear.
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| Mars |
Mars will be found in the morning sky before sunrise during March. As mentioned, Venus will be close by and this pair of planets will be joined by Saturn on the 24th and 25th, creating a triangle. The Moon will join these planets on the 28th. Since Mars is found farther out from the Sun than the Earth, it will be able to rise higher in the sky as the year progresses, as opposed to Venus and Mercury which are never found far from the Sun. The Red Planet will not offer any surface details with the use of a telescope until it approaches opposition later this year.
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| Jupiter |
Jupiter will make a brief appearance at the end of the month. This giant planet was visible for the first half or so of February but then moved to the far side of the Sun from our vantage point. Jupiter will be in conjunction with the Sun on March 5th but will be visible again in the morning sky for the last week of the month. Save your telescopic views of this planet until at least the end of April when it will be farther from the Sun.
Saturn can be found in the morning sky just before sunrise during March. The ringed world can be found close to Mercury on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, with the 2nd being their closest. Mercury will be shining slightly brighter than Saturn. As the month goes on, Saturn will rise earlier each morning and trek across the morning sky towards Venus and Mars. By the 24th and 25th, this trio of planets will form a triangle, with Saturn being in the lower left. The Moon will join this trio of planets on the 28th, creating a spectacular image opportunity.
The prime time for viewing Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn will come later this year. Make sure your gear is ready for observing! I recommend using a widefield eyepiece to capture the background stars of whatever planet you are looking at, as well as a high-powered eyepiece to view as much detail as your telescope and the sky allows. A great alternative is a zoom eyepiece which allows you to accomplish both tasks with one eyepiece!
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| Neptune |
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| Uranus |
The outer two planets are best viewed through a telescope but can still be seen through a pair of binoculars. Uranus will be the only planet visible in the evening sky during March. It can be found near the front feet of Aries the Ram. A thin crescent Moon will join Uranus on the 6th, being found less than 1° below this dim planet.
Neptune will be lost from view this month as it reaches conjunction with the Sun on the 13th. It will reappear in the morning sky next month.
Zodiacal Light
March will be the second month in a row with no major meteor shower visible. An observer can always spot up to seven background meteors per hour if they can get away from all sources of light pollution. On the flip side, March will be the second month in a row to offer the chance to view the zodiacal light! This month might prove to be better than February since March will typically provide warmer temperatures. Remember to get as far away from all sources of light pollution as possible for your chance to view the zodiacal light. It will appear as a faint pillar of light about an hour after sunset that will extend from the western horizon to the zenith. The best chance comes at the beginning of the month when the Moon is still young, or the last week of the month as the Moon approaches its "new" phase.
Spot Me....🕵️
I've had you try to spot quite a few different objects in the night sky, most of which require a telescope. As the temperatures begin to warm, I encourage observers to bring out their smaller stargazing instruments such as binoculars and small telescopes; something that is quick and easy to set up. The Pleiades and the Orion Nebula are great targets for smaller instruments. The Moon will also be a fantastic target since different features can be seen each night as the phases change. For observers viewing in the early morning hours, the Moon will also be a great target. About 90 minutes before sunrise, an observer will notice the southern Milky Way band rising above the mountains. In the southern sky, observers will also notice a few of the Centauri stars visible. Unfortunately, observers in Utah will be unable to see Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our Sun. As the temperatures continue to warm up in April, we will resume looking at deep-sky objects.
Monthly Breakdown
March 02: New Moon 🌑
March 02: Mercury and Saturn within 1°March 05: Jupiter in conjunction with the Sun
March 10: First Quarter Moon 🌓
March 13: Neptune in conjunction with the Sun
March 18: Full Moon 🌕
March 20: Greatest Western Elongation of VenusMarch 20: Mercury and Jupiter within 2°
March 25: Last Quarter Moon 🌗
March 27: Moon passes within 4° of MarsMarch 28: Moon passes within 7° of Venus
March 29: Venus and Saturn within 2°
March 30: Moon passes within 4° of Jupiter
Remember to follow me on Instagram @CosmicLure01 to receive notifications for new posts. You may also follow me on Twitter @CosmicLure.
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| Now get outside and look up! |
Planet images were taken by NASA.
Andrew vs. the Cosmos was taken by Jeff Greenland.
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