March ’s Evening Planets:

Mars could be viewed until around midnight between Aries the Ram and Taurus the Bull. Mercury will be in Pisces the Fish for one hour after sunset in the first week of the month. Uranus is in Pisces the Fish until 9 PM.

Fig. 1 – The night sky looking south early in the month.

Fig. 2 – The night sky looking south late in the month.

March ’s Evening Stars:

The Winter Triangle will be up until around midnight this month: Sirius, the brightest star viewed from Earth, is in Canis Major the Great Dog; Betelgeuse is in Orion the Hunter; and Procyon is in Canis Minor the Small Dog. Spot Capella in Auriga the Charioteer, Spica in Virgo the Maiden, Arcturus in Boötes the Herds-man, Aldebaran in Taurus the Bull, and bright Castor and Pollux in Gemini the Twins. Also find the stars of constellations Cassiopeia, Perseus, Cepheus, Leo, Hydra, Draco, Hercules, and Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (the Big and Little Dippers).

March ’s Morning Planets:

Bright Venus could be viewed one hour before sunrise moving between Capricornus the Sea goat and Aquarius the Water Bearer during March.  

Jupiter can be seen in Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer from around 2 AM until sunrise. See Mercury moving between Pisces the Fish and Aquarius the Water-bearer for one hour before sunrise in the first week of the month. Saturn and Pluto will be in Sagittarius the Archer as of 4 AM, lingering until sunrise.

Fig. 3 – The morning sky with an array of solar system objects, looking south late in the month.

 March ’s Morning Stars:

The Summer Triangle of Vega in Lyra the Harp, Deneb in Cygnus the Swan, and Altair in Aquila the Eagle will be up until sunrise. Look for reddish Antares in Scorpius the Scorpion, Castor and Pollux in Gemini the Twins, Arcturus in Boötes the Herdsman, and Spica in Virgo the Maiden, along with the stars of constellations Leo, Hercules, Libra, Cancer, Cassiopeia, Ophiuchus, Cepheus, Draco, and Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (the Big and Little Dippers).

March  Skylights

• March   3  Moon, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Antares form an arc, pre-dawn
• March   4  Moon at apogee (252,500 miles away)
• March   6  New Moon at 11:05 AM
• March 14  First Quarter Moon at 6:27 AM
• March 15  Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter are lined up, pre-dawn      
• March 19  Moon at perigee (223,300 miles away)
• March 20  Vernal Equinox  at 6:00 PM
• March 20  Full Moon at 9:45 PM
• March 26  Jupiter is 2° south of Moon
• March 28  Third Quarter Moon 12:10  AM
• March 31  Moon at apogee (252,000 miles away)