What’s Up in the March Sky?
March’s Evening Planets:
Mars can be viewed until around midnight between Aries the Ram and Taurus the Bull. Uranus is in Cetus the Sea Monster until 10 PM.
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 Jupiter can be viewed one hour before sunrise in Capricornus the Sea goat during March. Saturn will be in Capricornus the Sea goat from around 5 AM until sunrise. See Mercury moving between Capricornus the Sea-goat and Aquarius the Water-bearer for one hour before sunrise in the first half of the month. Neptune will be in Aquarius the Water Bearer for one hour before sunrise in the last week of the month. Pluto will be in Sagittarius the Archer as of 4 AM, lingering until sunrise.
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 2: Moon at perigee (227,100 miles away)
March 3: Mars is 2.6° south of Pleiades, closest since 1991
March 5: Third Quarter Moon 8:30 PM
March 8: Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Moon, and Antares line up, pre-dawn
March 13: New Moon at 5:20 AM
March 18: Moon at apogee (251,800 miles away)
March 21: First Quarter Moon at 10:40 AM
March 20: Vernal Equinox at 3:21 PM
March 28: Full Moon at 2:48 PM
March 30: Moon at perigee (223,900 miles away)
Times given in EDT.
Resources
Download Ken Graun’s March 2021 sky chart for reference and observing ideas.
Another equally helpful resource is Skymaps’ monthly evening sky chart, available for different hemispheres. Download The Evening Sky Map for March.
