Astronomy Today's SkyGuide
You're very welcome to our Sky Guide section. Keep reading to help plan and make the most of any opportunity you get to observe the heavens.
March 2010 - Sky Events
Mercury is above the western horizon during the last week of the month. Start looking for Mercury on 22 March as it climbs into view.
On 31 March look for Mercury just three degrees from Venus as they appear 10 degrees above the horizon. The pair will be visible until around 20:30 local time. April will be a better time to view Mercury, but the March date will not be bad at all.
Venus is visible in the western sky in the evenings of March at magnitude -3.9.
A thin crescent Moon will pass 7 degrees north of Venus on the evening of 16 March.
Mars is still visible all night all month. Mars apparently shrinks from 12” to 9” this month. It fades from -0.6 to 0.1 magnitude, but is still one of the brightest objects in the sky.
Mars begins retrograde motion on 11 March and transits Greenwich on 01 March at 21:37 UT and 16 March at 20:37 UT .
Jupiter reappears in the dawn light in mid month. At -2.0, Jupiter can still be seen through the twilight.
(Saturn, its rings and some of its moons.)
Saturn is now visible most of the night at 0.6 magnitude. Saturn reaches opposition on 22 March. The ring tilt will be 3.2 degrees, angled with the north side toward Earth. The planet will be a mere 71 light minutes from Earth.
Look for Saturn and Moon to rise together on 01 March around 20:00 local time.
A special time to view Saturn is on 22 March UT. That is the date of opposition, when Saturn will appear at its largest size of 20” for the planet disc and 4” for the ring system. This will be the first time in 15 years that we have a look at the northern face of the ring system. The ring angle will reduce during the month because of the combination of orbits of Earth and Saturn. The gap will widen later in the summer.
Uranus is not visible this month.
Neptune reappears in the morning sky near the Aquarius/Capricornus border.
(Figure 1 - M35 and the Moon.)
March Dates
| (All times are Universal Time.) | |
| March 02 | Saturn 8 degrees north of Moon (10:00) |
| March 03 | Look for zodiacal light in the west after twilight for the next two weeks. |
| March 07 |
Antares 1.3 degrees south of Moon (02:00) Double shadow transit on Jupiter (03:28) Last Quarter Moon (15:42) |
| March 10 | Double shadow transit on Jupiter (16:25) |
| March 12 | Moon at apogee – 406008 km (10:00) |
| March 14 |
Daylight Saving Time begins – Spring forward Moon 4 degrees north of Neptune (03:00) Double shadow transit on Jupiter (05:22) |
| March 15 | New Moon (21:01) |
| March 17 |
Double shadow transit on Jupiter (18:19) Venus 7 degrees south of Moon (12:00) |
| March 20 | Vernal Equinox (17:32) |
| March 21 |
Moon 0.3 degrees south of Pleiades Star Cluster (00:00) Double shadow transit on Jupiter (07:16) |
| March 22 |
Saturn at opposition (01:00) Note: check out the rings. |
| March 23 |
Double shadow transit on Jupiter (01:45) - see figure 2 (below). Moon 0.5 degree north of M35 (10:00) - see figure 1 (above). First Quarter Moon (11:00) |
| March 24 | Double shadow transit on Jupiter (20:14) |
| March 25 | Moon passes five° south of Mars. |
| March 28 |
Moon at perigee - 361876 km (05:00) Double shadow transit on Jupiter (09:11) |
| March 29 | Saturn 8° north of Moon (18:00) |
Although March is still too cold for most people in the Northern Hemisphere to stay out and observe long, taking a pair of binoculars out can give great views. Catch a glimpse at one of the things listed, or explore the nearest natural celestial neighbor, Moon, and all it provides.
(Figure 2 - Io and Europa transiting Jupiter.)
All images were created using The Sky, developed by Software Bisque.
Further info of interest ...
To discuss any of the above with other amateur (and some armchair!) astronomers, do visit our astronomy community forums. If you're confused by any of the astronomy terminology used on this page take a look at our: explanation of astronomy basics. Also, do visit our section on CCD Imaging to see what other amateur enthusiasts have managed to capture with their equipment. If there are any amateur astrophotographers out there who would like to exhibit their images on Astronomy Today do contact us.
Author: Brenda Culbertson
