Looking for a telescope for the next night sky event? We recommend the Celestron Astro Fi 102 (opens in new tab) as the top pick in our best beginner's telescope guide.
The night sky tonight and on any clear night offers an ever-changing display of fascinating objects you can see, from stars and constellations to bright planets, the moon, and sometimes special events like meteor showers.
Observing the night sky can be done with no special equipment, although a sky map can be very useful, and a good telescope or binoculars will enhance some experiences and bring some otherwise invisible objects into view. You can also use astronomy accessories to make your observing easier, and use our Satellite Tracker page powered by N2YO.com (opens in new tab) to find out when and how to see the International Space Station and other satellites. You can also capture the night sky by using any of the best cameras for astrophotography, along with a selection of the best lenses for astrophotography.
Read on to find out what's up in the night sky tonight (planets visible now, moon phases, observing highlights this month) plus other resources (skywatching terms, night sky observing tips and further reading).
Related: The brightest planets in March's night sky: How to see them (and when)
Monthly skywatching information is provided to Space.com by Chris Vaughan of Starry Night Education, the leader in space science curriculum solutions. Follow Starry Night on Twitter @StarryNightEdu (opens in new tab) and Chris at @Astrogeoguy (opens in new tab).
Editor's note: If you have an amazing skywatching photo and would like to share them with Space.com’s readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
Calendar of observing highlights
Wednesday, March 1 - Venus Kisses Jupiter (early evening)
During February, Venus was climbing away from the sun while Jupiter and the background stars were carried sunward by Earth’s orbital motion. In the western sky after sunset on Wednesday, March 1 the two planets will shine together in a very close conjunction. Jupiter will be positioned just half a degree to the left (or celestial southeast) of 5 times brighter Venus, allowing them to share the view in any backyard telescope. After their minimum separation tonight, Venus will increase its distance above Jupiter every evening. The two planets will continue to be binoculars-close (orange circle) until Monday, March 6.
Thursday, March 2 - Mercury Meets Saturn (before sunrise)
On Thursday, March 2, Mercury and Saturn will meet above the east-southeastern horizon before sunrise. Once you have spotted magnitude -0.62 Mercury’s dot within the morning twilight, look for four times fainter Saturn positioned a finger’s width to its upper left (or celestial north). They’ll be close enough to share the field of view in a backyard telescope, but clear views will not be possible when they are so low in the sky. Observers at more southerly latitudes, where the ecliptic will be more vertical, will see them higher and in a darker sky. The two planets will be binoculars-close (orange circle) for several mornings. Be sure to turn all optical aids away from the eastern horizon before the sun rises.
Thursday, March 2 - Gibbous Moon Passes Pollux (all night)
On Thursday night, March 2, the waxing gibbous moon will shine binoculars-close (orange circle) to Gemini’s brightest star Pollux. After dusk, the moon will be positioned two finger widths to the right (or 2 degrees to the celestial southwest) of Pollux in the eastern sky. Pollux’ sibling, the bright double star Castor, will twinkle above them. As the night wears on, the diurnal rotation of the sky will swing Pollux and Castor to the moon’s right. Because the moon will also be sliding east in its orbit (green line), early risers on Friday morning will see the trio forming a horizontal line above the west-northwestern horizon.
Friday, March 3 - Bright Moon Passes the Beehive (all night)
After dusk on Friday, March 3, the large open star cluster known as The Beehive (or Messier 44) will be positioned several finger widths to the lower right (or 4 degrees to the celestial south) of the bright gibbous moon. Encounters between M44 and the moon or planets occur frequently because the cluster is located only one degree away from the ecliptic (green line) in the constellation of Cancer. The moon and the Beehive will share the field of view of binoculars (orange circle), but the moon’s brilliance will overwhelm the cluster’s stars. To see more of the “bees”, hide the moon just outside your optics’ field of view. During the night, the diurnal rotation of the sky will shift the Beehive to the moon’s lower left.
Friday, March 3 - Mare Imbrium’s Golden Handle (all night)
On Friday night, March 3, the terminator on the waxing gibbous moon will fall just west of Sinus Iridum, the Bay of Rainbows. That semi-circular feature, 155 miles (249 km) in diameter, is a large impact crater that has been flooded by the same basalts that filled the much larger Mare Imbrium to its east – forming a round bay on the western edge of the mare. A clair-obscur effect named the Golden Handle is produced when the low-angled sunlight along the terminator brightens the eastern side of the prominent Montes Jura mountain range surrounding Sinus Iridum on the north and west. Sinus Iridum is almost craterless, but hosts a set of northeasterly-oriented wrinkle ridges that are revealed at this phase. In a backyard telescope you can see where the mountains, actually the original crater’s rim, submerge below the basalts, forming the promontories named Laplace (the northern tip) and Heraclides (the southern tip).
Saturday, March 4 - Lunar Libration Shows Elusive Edge Features (all night)
Due to the moon’s orbital inclination and ellipticity, it nods up-and-down and sways left-to-right by up to 7 degrees while keeping the same hemisphere pointed towards Earth. Over time, this lunar libration effect lets us see 59% of the moon’s total surface without leaving the Earth. For several nights surrounding Saturday, March 4, the moon’s brightly lit southeastern limb will be rotated toward Earth, revealing a collection of dark patches that can be seen in a backyard telescope. Together they comprise Mare Australe, the Southern Sea. The northern and southern boundaries of the mare are dominated by the isolated dark ovals of the craters Oken and Hanno, respectively. Between them, look for the similar dark craters Brisbane Z and E and the large, lighter grey crater Lyot. In evening, Mare Australe will be on the moon’s right-hand edge. Toward midnight, the mare will swing toward the bottom of the moon.
Monday, March 6 - Sirius Sparkles like a Diamond (all night)
In early March the night sky’s brightest star, Sirius, or Alpha Canis Majoris, reaches its highest point over the southern horizon at around 7:45 p.m. local time. Sirius is a hot, white, A-class star. Its location only 8.6 light-years from Earth is part of the reason for its brilliance. For mid-northern latitude observers, Sirius always shines in the lower third of the sky, through a thicker blanket of Earth’s refracting atmosphere. This causes the strong twinkling and flashes of color the Dog Star is known for.
Tuesday, March 7 - Full Worm Moon (at 12:40 GMT)
Because the moon’s full phase will occur on Tuesday, March 7 at 8:40 a.m. EST, 5:40 a.m. PST, or 12:40 GMT, it will appear full in the Americas on both Monday night and Tuesday night. The March full moon, known as the Worm Moon, Crow Moon, Sap Moon or Lenten Moon, always shines in or near the stars of Leo or Virgo. The indigenous Ojibwe people of the Great Lakes region call this full moon Ziissbaakdoke-giizis “Sugar Moon” or Onaabani-giizis, the “Hard Crust on the Snow Moon”. For them it signifies a time to balance their lives and to celebrate the new year. The Cree of North America call it Mikisiwipisim, the “the Eagle Moon” - the month when the eagle returns. The Cherokee call it Anvyi, the “Windy Moon”, when the planting cycle begins anew. Full moons always rise in the east as the sun sets, and set in the west at sunrise. When fully illuminated, the moon’s surface geology is enhanced, especially the contrast between the ancient cratered highlands and the younger smoother maria.
Thursday, March 9 - Evening Zodiacal Light (after dusk)
If you live in a location where the sky is free of light pollution, you might be able to spot the Zodiacal Light from now until the new moon on March 21. After the evening twilight has disappeared, you’ll have about half an hour to check the western sky for a broad wedge of faint light extending upwards from the horizon and centered on the ecliptic above the planets Venus and Jupiter. That glow is the zodiacal light - sunlight scattered from countless small particles of material that populate the plane of our solar system. Don't confuse it with the narrower belt of the Milky Way, which stretches upwards from the northwestern horizon at this time of year.
Saturday, March 11 - Ceres Cozy With Messier 91 (all night)
During March, 2023, the largest object in the main asteroid belt, named (1) Ceres, will perform a westerly retrograde loop that carries it through the northern edge of the Virgo Cluster of Galaxies. On Saturday, March 11, the 7th magnitude dwarf planet will pass only 5 arc-minutes to the north of the prominent spiral galaxy Messier 91. They’ll be close enough to view together in a backyard telescope (inset, orange circle) from March 7 to 14. Ceres will clear the eastern rooftops by about 8 p.m. local time – but the pretty galaxy’s fainter form will be best viewed in late evening, when the duo will be halfway up the southern sky. Ceres will pass 0.5 degrees north of another galaxy named Messier 88 on March 14-15. During the week, telescope-owners can check out Markarian’s Chain of galaxies, which arcs to the right (celestial southwest) of Messier 91 and 88.
Sunday, March 12 - Daylight Saving Time Begins (at 2 a.m.)
For jurisdictions that adopt Daylight Saving Time (DST), clocks should be set forward by one hour at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, March 12. For stargazers, the time change, and the fact that sunsets occur 1 minute later each day near the March equinox, will mean that dark-sky observing cannot commence until much later in the evening – possibly after the bedtime of junior astronomers. The difference from local time to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and the astronomers’ Universal Time (UT) decreases by one hour when DST is in effect. Daylight Saving Time will end on November 5, 2022.
Monday, March 13 - Moon in the Scorpion’s Claws (pre-dawn)
In the southern sky before dawn on Monday, March 13, the waning, slightly gibbous moon will shine in western Scorpius near the up-down row of small white stars that form the scorpion’s claws. From top to bottom, they are Jabbah or Nu Scorpii, Graffias or Acrab, Dschubba, Pi Scorpii, and Rho Scorpii. A backyard telescope at high magnification will reveal that Nu Scorpii, Graffias, and Dschubba are close-together double stars. Enjoy them, even after the moon has moved away.
Tuesday, March 14 - Half-moon near Antares (pre-dawn)
Low in the southeastern sky before dawn on Tuesday, March 14, the waning third quarter moon will shine several finger widths to the left (or less than 4.5 degrees to the celestial east of the bright, orange-tinted star Antares, the heart of the Scorpion. That will be just close enough for them to share the view in binoculars (orange circle). Skywatchers in more easterly time zones will see the moon somewhat closer to Antares. That red giant star is located 600 light-years away from our sun.
Wednesday, March 15 - Third Quarter Moon (at 02:08 GMT)
The moon will reach its third quarter phase on Wednesday, March 15 at 02:08 GMT. That translates to 10:08 p.m. EDT or 7:08 p.m. PDT on Tuesday, March 14. Third quarter moons rise at about midnight in your local time zone, and then linger into the southern sky during morning daylight. At third, or last, quarter the moon is illuminated on its western side, towards the pre-dawn Sun. The week of dark, moonless evening skies that follow this phase will be ideal for observing deep sky targets in binoculars and telescopes, especially spring galaxies.
Saturday, March 18 - The Spectacular Orion Nebula (evening)
The bright stars of mighty Orion, the Hunter, shine in the southwestern sky on mid-March evenings. The sword of Orion, which covers an area of 1.5 by 1 degrees (about the end of your thumb held up at arm’s length), descends from Orion’s three-starred belt. The patch of light in the middle of the sword is the spectacular and bright nebula known as the Orion Nebula or Messier 42 and NGC 1976. While simple binoculars will reveal the fuzzy nature of this object, medium-to-large aperture telescopes (orange circle) will show a complex pattern of veil-like gas and dark dust lanes and the Trapezium Cluster, a tight clump of young stars that formed inside the nebula. Adding an Oxygen-III or broadband nebula filter will reveal even more details. The nebula and the stars forming within it are approximately 1,350 light-years from the sun, in the Orion arm of our Milky Way galaxy.
Sunday, March 19 - Old Moon and Saturn (before sunrise)
Look just above the east-southeastern horizon before sunrise on Sunday, March 19 to see the thin crescent of the very old moon shining a palm’s width to the lower right (or 6 degrees to the celestial SSW) of Saturn. The best viewing time will start around 6:30 a.m. local time. Observers at mid-northern latitudes will need an unobstructed horizon and a haze-free sky to see them well against the morning twilight – but anyone viewing the duo from the tropics and farther south, where the ecliptic (green line) will be less tilted, will see them higher and in a darker sky. Be sure to turn all cameras and optical aids away from the eastern horizon before the sun rises.
Monday, March 20 - March Equinox (at 21:24 GMT)
On Monday, March 20 at 5:24 p.m. EDT, 1:24 p.m. PDT, or 21:24 GMT the sun will cross the celestial equator traveling north, marking the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of northern spring. Days and nights will be of equal length on that day, and the sun will rise due east and set due west. At mid-northern latitudes on the March equinox, the amount of daylight added to each day reaches its maximum of 3 minutes.
Tuesday, March 21 - Ceres at Opposition (all night)
In the early hours of Tuesday, March 21, the dwarf planet Ceres will reach opposition, its closest approach to Earth for the year – a distance of 148.6 million miles or 239.2 million km or 13.3 light-minutes. On the nights around opposition, this largest resident of the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter will shine with a peak visual magnitude of 7.0, which is well within reach of binoculars and backyard telescopes. Tonight it will be located in southwestern Coma Berenices about midway between the stars Beta Comae Berenices and Zavijava - on the northern boundary of the Virgo Cluster of Galaxies (labelled in red). Ceres will ascend the eastern sky after dusk, and then reach its highest elevation, and peak visibility when due south at 1:30 a.m. local time.
Tuesday, March 21 - New Moon (at 17:23 GMT)
At 1:23 p.m. EDT, 10:23 a.m. PDT or 17:23 GMT on Tuesday, March 21, the moon will officially reach its new moon phase. At that time it will be located in western Pisces, approximately 3.5 degrees south of the sun. While new, the moon is traversing the space between Earth and the sun. Since sunlight is only shining on the far side of a new moon, and the moon is in the same region of the sky as the sun, our natural satellite becomes completely hidden from view for about a day - unless a solar eclipse occurs!
Wednesday, March 22 - Sliver of Moon Meets Jupiter (after sunset)
For observers in the Americas, the bright dot of Jupiter and the very young crescent moon will shine together above the western horizon after sunset on Wednesday, March 22. The 2%-illuminated moon will be positioned just a thumb’s width to Jupiter’s upper left (or 1.3 degrees to the celestial east) – close enough for them to share the view in binoculars (orange circle) or a backyard telescope. They’ll set about 70 minutes after the sun does. Observers located in northeastern South America can see the moon occult Jupiter in a twilit sky starting around 22:18 GMT. The rest of northern South America, southern Central America, and parts of the Pacific Ocean can observe the event in bright daylight, though the moon will be very hard to locate and dangerously close to the sun.
Thursday, March 23 - Earthshine Moon Approaches Venus (after sunset)
On Thursday, March 23, the very slender crescent of the young moon will resemble the Cheshire Cat’s smile when it shines below Venus and above Jupiter – setting up a wonderful widefield photo opportunity in the western sky after sunset on both Thursday and Friday. Watch for Earthshine on the moon. Sometimes called the Ashen Glow or the Old Moon in the New Moon’s Arms, the phenomenon is visible within a day or two of new moon, when sunlight reflected off Earth and back toward the moon slightly brightens the unlit portion of the moon’s Earth-facing hemisphere. Observers located along a zone stretching across southern and eastern Africa, Madagascar, the southeastern Arabian Peninsula, India, Pakistan, and the southern half of Asia can see the moon occult Venus during mid-day on Friday. Those located from Thailand to the Philippines will see that occultation in a darker sky on Friday evening. Use an app like Starry Night to find out your local circumstances.
Friday, March 24 - Crescent Moon near Uranus (evening)
For viewers in the eastern parts of the Americas on Friday evening, March 24, magnitude 5.8 Uranus will be positioned less than two lunar diameters to the left (or celestial SSE) of the waxing crescent moon, allowing skywatchers to see the blue-green planet’s dot in binoculars (orange circle) and backyard telescopes. The bright planet Venus will gleam below them. For observers located in more westerly time zones, the moon’s continuous eastward motion around Earth will increase its separation from Uranus and lift the moon above the planet.
Saturday, March 25 - Crescent Moon Passes the Pleiades (evening)
Once the sky darkens on Saturday evening, March 25, the bright little cluster of stars named the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters, and Messier 45 will sparkle about two finger widths to the upper right (or 2.5 degrees to the celestial north) of the waxing crescent moon. By the time they set around midnight, the moon will have shifted to the left of the cluster. To better see the cluster’s stars, hide the moon beyond the edge of your binoculars’ field of view (orange circle). Large aperture telescopes and long exposure photos can reveal faint blue nebulosity surrounding the cluster’s brighter stars. In Greek mythology, the stars are named for the daughters of Atlas and Pleione.
Sunday, March 26 - Ceres Grazes a Galaxy (all night)
The dwarf planet Ceres’ westerly retrograde loop through the northern edge of the Virgo Cluster of Galaxies will carry it very close to another spectacular spiral galaxy for several nights surrounding Sunday, March 26. Messier 100 is a grand design, face-on spiral galaxy located a bit more than halfway from the bright star Diadem in Coma Berenices to Denebola in Leo. The 7th magnitude dwarf planet will brush the northern edge of the bright spiral’s arms on Sunday evening, but they’ll be close enough to view together in a backyard telescope (orange circle) from March 23 to 29. The early-setting crescent moon should allow the galaxy and the asteroid to be visible in full-sized binoculars from a dark sky location in late evening, when they’ll be high in the southern sky.
Monday, March 27 - Bright Moon Approaches Red Mars (evening)
In the western sky on Monday evening, March 27, watch for the nearly half-illuminated waxing moon shining a palm’s width to the lower right (or 6 degrees to the celestial WNW) of Mars’ reddish dot. As they descend the western sky together, the moon’s steady eastward motion around Earth will draw it closer to Mars, eventually allowing them to share the view in binoculars (orange circle). Observers in westerly time zones will see the pair even closer together. For observers in Asia, the moon will pass only 2 degrees to the north of Mars after midnight. In the Americas the pair will again shine together on Tuesday evening, with the moon a palm’s width above Mars.
Tuesday, March 28 - The Moon and Mars in the Winter Hexagon (evening)
The Winter Football, also known as the Winter Hexagon and Winter Circle, is an asterism composed of the brightest stars in the constellations of Canis Major, Orion, Taurus, Auriga, Gemini, and Canis Minor – specifically Sirius, Rigel, Aldebaran, Capella, Castor & Pollux, and Procyon. The hexagon is visible from mid-November to spring every year. Viewed during evening from mid-Northern latitudes, the huge pattern will stretch across the southwestern sky. The waxing moon will pass through the giant shape from Sunday to Wednesday this week (red path with dates:hour), overtaking the reddish dot of Mars, which will drift through its middle until early May.
Tuesday, March 28 - First Quarter Moon (at 02:32 GMT)
The moon will complete the first quarter of its orbit around Earth at 02:32 GMT on Wednesday, March 29, which converts to 10:32 p.m. EST and 7:32 p.m. PST on Tuesday evening, March 28. At first quarter, the relative positions of the Earth, sun, and moon cause us to see our natural satellite half-illuminated - on its eastern side. First quarter moons always rises around noon and set around midnight, allowing them to be seen in the afternoon daytime sky, too. The evenings surrounding first quarter are the best for viewing the lunar terrain when it is dramatically lit by low-angled sunlight.
Wednesday, March 29 - Mars Passes Messier 35 (overnight)
For several nights surrounding Wednesday, March 29, the orbital motion of the reddish planet Mars will carry it closely past the large and prominent open star cluster in Gemini designated Messier 35, NGC 2168, and the Shoe-Buckle Cluster. Mars and the cluster will share the view in binoculars from March 19 to April 8 and the eyepiece of a backyard telescope (orange circle) from March 28 to 30. At their closest approach on Wednesday night, the cluster’s sprinkling of several hundred stars will be centered a finger’s width to the lower left (or 1 degree to the celestial south) of Mars. This week the pairing will be high in the southwestern sky after dusk and then set in the west during the wee hours.
Wednesday, March 29 - Bright Moon between Gemini’s Twins (all night)
The slightly gibbous moon will be visible in the afternoon daytime sky on Wednesday, March 29. But once the sky darkens in early evening, the stars of Gemini will appear around it – for the second time in March. After dusk, Gemini’s two brightest stars, the “twins” Castor and Pollux, will sparkle several finger widths to the upper left (or celestial northeast) of the moon. The grouping will be tight enough for the trio to share the field of view in binoculars (orange circle). Optical aids will also show the fainter stars Iota, 59, 64, and 65 Geminorum shining where the celestial siblings rub shoulders. Observers viewing the scene later, or in more westerly time zones, will see the moon closer to Pollux. Meanwhile, the diurnal rotation of the sky will swing the moon underneath Pollux.
Thursday, March 30 - Venus Passes Uranus (evening)
In the western sky on Thursday evening, March 30 the magnitude 5.8 planet Uranus will be positioned a just finger’s width to the lower left (or 1 degree to the celestial south) of the brilliant planet Venus. That’s cozy enough to see them together in a backyard telescope. Venus will be climbing eastward away from the sun while Uranus and the rest of the sky will be shifting sunward, so the two planets will begin to share the view in binoculars on March 25, when Venus will appear below Uranus. After their closest approach on Thursday, Venus will climb higher than Uranus each evening. The last evening for them to appear together in binoculars will be April 4.
Friday, March 31 - Inner Planets after Sunset (after sunset)
On the final evenings of March, the innermost planet Mercury will join Venus in the western evening sky, commencing a very good April apparition for mid-Northern latitude skywatchers. Mercury’s magnitude -1.1 dot will be visible just above the horizon for about an hour after sunset, especially around 8 p.m. local time. Much brighter Venus will shine well above it and will linger long after Mercury sinks out of sight. Be sure to wait until the sun has completely set before seeking Mercury in binoculars or a telescope.
Planets
Mercury
During the opening days of March, Mercury will be tucked just above the eastern horizon before sunrise. It may be spotted using binoculars – but turn all optical aids away from the area before the sun rises. Observers located closer to the tropics and in the Southern Hemisphere will see the planet much more easily. As Mercury approaches superior conjunction on the far side of the sun on March 17, it will brighten and wax toward fully illuminated. During the last week of March Mercury will re-appear in the western sky after sunset as a magnitude -1.37 dot - commencing a very good apparition for mid-northern latitude observers. Mercury will climb daily toward twice as bright Jupiter, and then pass less than 1.5 degrees to the right (or celestial northwest) of Jupiter on March 27. At month-end, Mercury will shine 6.5 degrees above Jupiter.
Venus
Venus will continue to catch the eye in the western evening sky throughout March. The brilliant magnitude -3.9 planet will climb higher each night as it increases its angle east of the sun from 30.5 to 37 degrees, allowing it to be seen in a dark sky well beyond dusk. Under magnification during March, Venus will exhibit an illuminated phase that wanes from 85% to 77% while its disk swells in size from 12.2 to 14 arc-seconds. Venus will begin March positioned just 0.5 degrees to Jupiter’s right (or celestial northwest). Both bright planets will be surrounded by the much fainter stars of the western fish of Pisces. As Venus outraces Jupiter eastward, it will pass into Aries on March 15 and then end the month located 1.3 degrees to the upper right (or celestial north) of magnitude 5.83 Uranus on March 30. The very young crescent moon will form a line below Venus and above Jupiter on March 23, making a lovely photo opportunity. On the following evening the moon will jump to sit a palm’s width above (or 6 degrees to the east of) Venus.
Mars
During March Mars will shine high in the southwestern sky after dusk. Early in the month its reddish magnitude 0.44 dot will form a prominent triangle with the red stars Aldebaran to its southwest and Betelgeuse to its southeast. As the days pass, Mars will race eastward – ranging farther from Taurus the Bull’s face and the Pleiades star cluster. It will cross into next-door Gemini on March 26. That orbital motion will almost offset the nightly westward drift of the stars, allowing Mars to set at about 2 a.m. local time all month long. At the same time Earth’s increasing separation from the red planet will cause it to fade to magnitude 0.97 by the end of the month. In a telescope Mars’ 90%-illuminated disk will shrink in size from 8.1 to 6.4 arc-seconds. On March 29 use binoculars or a backyard telescope to see Mars shining 1 degree to the upper right (or celestial north) of the large and relatively bright Shoe-buckle open star cluster (aka Messier 35 and NGC 2168). The waxing crescent moon will hop from the west to the east of Mars on March 27 and 28.
Jupiter
Jupiter will shine in a very close conjunction with Venus in the western sky after dusk on March 1. Observers in the Americas will see magnitude -2.1 planet positioned just 0.5 degrees to the left (or celestial south) of five times brighter Venus – allowing them to share the view in a backyard telescope or binoculars. Skywatchers in the Pacific Ocean region can see them slightly closer together. For the rest of March Jupiter will be carried lower in the sky each evening while Venus ascends, increasing the separation between the two planets. After about mid-month Jupiter will be lower and surrounded by twilight when it first appears after dusk – effectively closing the window for quality telescope views of the giant planet. Before that time, though, Jupiter will exhibit dark equatorial bands across a 34.2 arc-seconds-wide disk adorned with the Great Red Spot every second or third night. Its four large Galilean satellites will dance above and below (to the east and west of the planet) each evening. On March 22 the very young crescent moon will shine one degree to Jupiter’s upper left (or celestial east). On the following evening, the moon will climb higher to shine between Jupiter and Venus.
Saturn
Following its solar conjunction on February 16, Saturn will gradually emerge into the eastern pre-dawn sky during March. On March 2, the ringed planet will be positioned only 1 degree to the upper left (or celestial north) of Mercury – but their close conjunction will be best seen from the tropics and farther south. Once Saturn has climbed free of the pre-dawn twilight in the final week of March, it will shine at magnitude 0.9 in central Aquarius. Telescope views will show a 15.6 arc-seconds-wide globe, a noticeably less open ring plane spanning 36.4 arc-seconds, and its largest moons. The slim crescent of the waning moon will pose a palm’s width to the lower right (or 5.8 degrees to the south-southwest) of Saturn above the southeastern horizon on March 19. Always turn all optical aids away from the area before the sun rises.
Uranus
The blue-green, magnitude 5.8 planet Uranus will be observable in the western evening sky during March. Uranus’ 3.5 arc-seconds-wide disk will be most easily resolved in telescopes immediately after dusk, when it will be highest in the western sky - but the telescope-viewing time will be reducing each night as Uranus is carried sunward. Uranus will be slowly travelling eastward through central Aries. On March 24, the young crescent moon will shine less than two lunar diameters to the right (or celestial north) of Uranus. On nights when the moon isn’t near it, Uranus can be found using binoculars. Search a generous fist’s width to the upper left (or 13 degrees east-northeast of) Aries’ brightest star Hamal, in the direction of the medium bright pair of stars Omicron and Xi Tauri. Much faster and brighter Venus will overtake Uranus on the nights surrounding March 30. That evening, Uranus will be positioned a finger’s width to the lower left (or 1 degree to the celestial south) of Venus – close enough for the two planets to share the eyepiece of a backyard telescope.
Neptune
Neptune will spend the month of March out of sight near the sun. It will pass solar conjunction on March 15-16, and then enter the eastern morning sky. Its position well south of the tilted morning ecliptic will prevent the magnitude 8 planet from being observable until May.
Skywatching terms
Gibbous: Used to describe a planet or moon that is more than 50% illuminated.
Asterism: A noteworthy or striking pattern of stars within a larger constellation.
Degrees (measuring the sky): The sky is 360 degrees all the way around, which means roughly 180 degrees from horizon to horizon. It's easy to measure distances between objects: Your fist on an outstretched arm covers about 10 degrees of sky, while a finger covers about one degree.
Visual Magnitude: This is the astronomer's scale for measuring the brightness of objects in the sky. The dimmest object visible in the night sky under perfectly dark conditions is about magnitude 6.5. Brighter stars are magnitude 2 or 1. The brightest objects get negative numbers. Venus can be as bright as magnitude minus 4.9. The full moon is minus 12.7 and the sun is minus 26.8.
Terminator: The boundary on the moon between sunlight and shadow.
Zenith: The point in the sky directly overhead.
Night sky observing tips
Adjust to the dark: If you wish to observe fainter objects, such as meteors, dim stars, nebulas, and galaxies, give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the darkness. Avoid looking at your phone's bright screen by keeping it tucked away. If you must use it, set the brightness to minimum — or cover it with clingy red film.
Light Pollution: Even from a big city, one can see the moon, a handful of bright stars, and the brightest planets - if they are above the horizon. But to fully enjoy the heavens — especially a meteor shower, the fainter constellations, or to see the amazing swath across the sky that is the disk of our home galaxy, the Milky Way — rural areas are best for night sky viewing. If you're stuck in a city or suburban area, use a tree or dark building to block ambient light (or moonlight) and help reveal fainter sky objects. If you're in the suburbs, simply turning off outdoor lights can help.
Prepare for skywatching: If you plan to be outside for more than a few minutes, and it's not a warm summer evening, dress more warmly than you think is necessary. An hour of winter observing can chill you to the bone. For meteor showers, a blanket or lounge chair will prove to be much more comfortable than standing, or sitting in a chair and craning your neck to see overhead.
Daytime skywatching: On the days surrounding first quarter, the moon is visible in the afternoon daytime sky. At last quarter, the moon rises before sunrise and lingers into the morning daytime sky. When Venus is at a significant angle away from the sun it can often be spotted during the day as a brilliant point of light - but you'll need to consult an astronomy app to know when and where to look for it. When large sunspots develop on the sun, they can be seen without a telescope — as long as you use proper solar filters, such as eclipse glasses. Permanent eye damage can occur if you look at the sun for any length of time without protective eyewear.
