Monthly Night Sky Report: March 2025

        Introduction

  February was another mixed bag as far as the weather was concerned over much of Utah. Northern Utah experienced temperatures in the 60's and also snowy days. While I'm writing this, snow is on the ground, with a few more storms supposedly arriving this week. The more distant weather reports claim we will experience 60° weather again. The warmer days and nights make being outdoors much more bearable and enjoyable. On those clear nights, I could easily spot Venus as it shone with most incredible brilliance. Moving eastward, Jupiter and Mars were easy to pick out, with bright Orion and Taurus providing the background stars. Of course, the clouds and storms were present on the days and nights I planned to take out my newish scope to image the Sun, Moon, and any DSOs I could find. Maybe March will be a better month!

    In the past, March has brought warmer temperatures as well as heavy snow storms. While I do enjoy the heavy snow storms, I am ready for warmer temperatures so I can relish the outdoors. There are a few astronomical events that I am looking forward to during March, and clear skies are a necessity. Early March is a great time to participate in a Messier Marathon. My hope is to travel to southern Utah for warmer weather and clear skies, but due to work conflicts, I will most likely be unable to travel. March also brings the Vernal (Spring) Equinox, which is a great time to view the Zodiacal Light in the west after sunset. There will also be a Total Lunar Eclipse that will be visible over Utah and all of North America. A Partial Solar Eclipse will be visible for those in the eastern part of North America, Greenland, Iceland, and parts of Europe.     

                      

Mercury

    Mercury will be found in the west after sunset during the first half of March. This tiny world will approach Venus in our evening sky, with their closest approach falling on the 13th. The Moon will be close by on the first evening of the month, closer to Venus than Mercury. By the 19th, Mercury will slip below the western horizon before the Sun has fully set, being lost from view. It will return in April.   

  

Venus

  Venus will be the most noticeable object in the sky after sunset during the first three weeks of the month. The earlier in the month an individual observes this planet, the brighter and more prominent it will appear to be. A thin crescent Moon will be close by on the 1st, with Mercury falling closer to the horizon. During the 3rd week of March, Venus lies too close to the Sun to safely view. It quickly returns but will instead be found in the morning sky. Venus will rise about an hour before the Sun during the last week of March, with the Moon again being close by on the 28th.

    

Mars

    Mars can be found in Gemini all month, forming an ever-changing triangle with the brightest stars, Castor and Pollux. By April, this trio will create a line in the night sky. Mars is retreating from the Earth and will decrease in magnitude, making it much more difficult to see any surface features on the Red Planet. This should not discourage observers from viewing the planet, however! The reddish color contrasts nicely with the background stars of Gemini. The Moon will be close by on the 9th.      

Jupiter

Saturn

    Jupiter will be a great target for observers throughout March. It can easily be seen high in the southwest sky with the stars of Taurus in the background. Aldebaran is close by, but the distance will increase as the month progresses. Observers using binoculars or a telescope can see the Galilean Moons, while the latter can also see the cloud bands and even the Great Red Spot. Several Galilean Moon transits can be viewed throughout the month, so be sure to check out the Moons of Jupiter & Saturn app for Android or JupiterMoons for Apple devices. The Great Red Spot may also be seen at specific times depending on the observers' location, and the resources mentioned above can also be helpful. An observer will need a four-inch (100 mm) or larger telescope to view the transits and the Great Red Spot. The Earth's own moon will pass close to this giant planet on the 5th.

    Saturn is trying its hardest to return to our sky but will, unfortunately, be lost from view during March. The ringed planet will grace the sky once again next month.

       

Neptune

Uranus

    

    Uranus can be found approximately 9° below the Pleiades during March. Observers using any optical aid to view the Pleiades should drop down this small amount to be rewarded with the blue-green disk of Uranus. A thin crescent Moon will be tucked nicely between the Pleiades and Uranus on the 4th, being less than 5° away. 

   Like Saturn, Neptune will be lost from view during March. It can be found in the morning sky late next month.

Zodiacal Light and Lunar Eclipse

    Like February, March will be a quiet month for a significant meteor shower. However, the Zodiacal Light will be more prominent in the night sky during this month as we approach the Vernal Equinox. An interested observer will need to travel to a dark-sky site, like the West Desert of Utah, and have a clear view of the western sky without any city lights in the distance. Enjoy the bright planets and constellations as the sky darkens. After sunset and a dark sky, look to the west to see the faint glow.  A long exposure image will suck up more light, revealing the wonder of the Zodiacal Light. A moon-free sky will also enhance the view.

    The highlight this month will be the Total Lunar Eclipse, which Utahns can enjoy beginning on the 13th at approximately 10:00 PM. By 11:10 PM, the Moon will begin to turn red as it passes through the Earth's shadow. Between 12:30 AM and 1:30 AM on the 14th will be the best part of the eclipse, as the Moon is completely covered by Earth's shadow. I find that trying to image a Total Lunar Eclipse never does it justice. Weather permitting, I will try out my new scope and hope for good results.  

Monthly Breakdown

March 01: Moon passes within 6° of Venus
March 01: Moon passes within 2° of Neptune
March 04: Moon passes within 5° of Uranus

March 06: Moon passes within 6° of Jupiter  

March 06: First Quarter Moon 🌓

March 08: Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation

March 08: Moon passes within 2° of Mars

March 09: Mercury and Venus within 6°

March 13: Total Lunar Eclipse begins 

March 14: Full Moon 🌕 

March 14: Total Lunar Eclipse ends

March 20: Vernal Equinox 

March 22: Last Quarter Moon🌗

March 28: Moon passes within 10° of Venus 

March 29: New Moon 🌑

March 30: Venus and Saturn within 10°

 

         

Now get outside and look up!

Planet images were taken by NASA.

Andrew vs. the Cosmos image was taken by Jeff Greenland.

The Milky Way and Trees image was taken by Andrew Greenland.

Orion, Taurus, and Pleiades image was taken by Andrew Greenland.

                

                

Midmonth Check-In: February 2025 and Best of 2024

            

  Introduction and Monthly Reminders   

    February has been a mixed bag for Utahns as far as the weather is concerned. We have experienced days that reached almost 70°F, although windy, while others reached temperatures in the mid-20s. The wind helped keep the inversion at bay but also brought clouds and unstable conditions for setting up any observing gear. Even with these conditions, I could still see four of the seven planets in the planetary parade and look at the bright constellations of the winter sky. The Moon was also breathtaking during the early part of the month as it increased in brightness as its phase moved closer to "full."  

    

    Observers may still view the winter constellations and the planets that make up the planetary parade. If a clear night occurs and a dark sky can be obtained, the Zodiacal light may still be viewed this month. While this light is noticeable with the unaided eye, an image of just 30 seconds will significantly enhance the view. Don't forget that now is a great time to view most of the Messier objects as Utah approaches the best date of the year for a Messier Marathon. 

Best of 2024   

    I captured many more images during 2024 than I did in 2023 and would love to share them! I purchased a new telescope in 2024 that can image the Sun (with proper filters), the Moon, deep sky objects, and stars. It is a very compact telescope, and I was able to take it on many trips throughout the year, including my eclipse trip to Texas in April. 

    As mentioned, I was able to travel to Texas to see the eclipse on 08 April 2024. I created a post with a full write-up of my experience and photos, but here are the best taken from my phone.

Eclipse through the leaves.

"Diamond Ring" at the end of totality.

Eclipse reaches totality.

Taken during totality, notice the visible planets and stars.

    In addition to these phone photos, I created a timelapse of the entire eclipse with my new telescope. The first video found here is my original, unedited color video. It's over five minutes long and is kind of shaky due to the wind. My second video is the same but in black and white which kind of adds a little bit, especially leading up to, during, and after totality. 

    Below are several images of the Moon. I couldn't choose just one favorite! 

Moon from 18 April.

    

    

Moon from 11 October.

Moon from 24 October

    The Sun was a hot topic for 2024 due to the eclipse and the Northern Lights being visible. I took several images of the Sun with my new scope throughout 2024, but I will share only a few of the best ones with a large number of sunspots.

Sunspots on 19 April.

Sunspots on 03 May.

Sunspots on 11 May, the day after Northern Lights were visible over Utah.

Sunspots on 11 August.

    Due to the active Sun, the Northern Lights were visible over Utah. Here are the best images I took on 10 May from my home. 

    Over the Labor Day weekend, I traveled to Fish Lake, Utah, and captured several decent images with my phone and DSLR cameras. 

Stars through the trees taken with my smartphone.

Western sky after sunset. Taken with my smartphone.

Milky Way over Fish Lake. Taken with my smartphone.

Cloudy Milky Way over Fish Lake. Taken with my smartphone.

Meteor over Fish Lake. Taken with DSLR camera.

Meteor and Milky Way over Fish Lake. Taken with DSLR camera.

Milky Way over Fish Lake. Taken with DLSR camera.

    During my first night at Fish Lake, I set up my DSLR camera to take a timelapse of the Milky Way. That was also when I caught the image of the bright meteor above. Here is my timelapse video.

    I was also able to capture many deep sky objects with my new scope. The telescope is able to track and stack several images to help bring out the detail of the target. While I did capture several different DSOs, I will only share the ones that turned out the best. Aside from stacking, no other editing has been done on these images. Enjoy!

M57, the Ring Nebula.

M13, the Hercules Cluster, with a satellite trail.

M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, with a satellite trail.

M27, the Dumbbell Nebula.

    I aim to capture and share the entire Messier Catalog of objects. I hope that 2025 will be as eventful, if not more so, than 2024, and I will have plenty more images to share!

    

Now get outside and look up!