SkyEye

Welcome to SkyEye, your guide to this month's celestial events. All dates are based on Universal Time (UT).

The Sun and Moon

There are no eclipses this month. The best views of the southern polar region of the Sun occur on 6 March.

As seen from the Earth, the Sun is moving from the constellation Aquarius to the constellation Pisces. On 21 March, Earth reaches an equinox, heralding spring in the northern hemisphere and autumn in the south.

The phases of the Moon are

Full : 2 March
Last Quarter : 10 March
New : 17 March
First Quarter : 24 March
Full : 31 March

The Moon is at apogee on 8 March and at perigee on 20 March. The second Full Moon this month is sometimes called a Blue Moon. January also boasted a Blue Moon. The last time there was a double Blue Moon in a calendar year was in 1961. This rare event will not occur again until 2018.

The Moon occults two first-magnitude stars this month. At 9 UT on the first day of the month, observers in Hawaii and Mexico can watch Regulus slip behind the limb of the nearly Full Moon during the hours of darkness. Three weeks later, Aldebaran will disappear at 18 UT on 22 March in a daytime event in the eastern United States and a night-time event in eastern Europe. Finally, at 16 UT on 28 March, Regulus will again fall victim to the Moon for observers in the Middle East, southern parts of Asia, and northern India. This occultation occurs during the hours of darkness.

The Planets

The word planet is derived from the Greek word for "wanderer." Unlike the background stars, planets seem to move around the sky, keeping mostly to a narrow track called the ecliptic, the path of the Sun across the stars.
Mercury
Mercury reaches greatest elongation east on 3 March, three days before a close encounter with Jupiter in the western sky at sunset. The closest planet to the Sun begins retrograde motion on 9 March. Then, ten days later, Mercury reaches inferior conjunction. Best seen in the northern hemisphere during the first half of the month, it can be found in the constellation Pisces.
Venus
Venus is the "evening star" seen in the western sky after sunset. It is well-placed for viewing in the northern hemisphere as it climbs ever higher but is still low in the sky for the southern half of the planet. It can be found close to Saturn on 19 March. Look for Venus in the constellations Pisces and Aries.
Mars
The red planet begins retrograde motion on 18 March. Rising in mid-evening, it can be found in the constellation Libra.
Jupiter
Jupiter can be found near Mercury on 6 March. This gas giant is getting too close to the Sun to observe in the constellations Pisces and Cetus.
Saturn
The ringed planet has a close encounter with Venus on 19 March. Setting earlier every night (just as Mars is rising), Saturn can be seen in the constellation Pisces.
Uranus
Uranus has a close encounter with Venus on 13 January. At best just on the edge of naked-eye visibility, it rises with Neptune in the constellation Capricornus.
Neptune
Neptune is falling behind Uranus after their triple conjunction in 1993. It is difficult to see, rising shortly before the Sun in the constellation Capricornus.
Pluto
Pluto reaches west quadrature on the first day of the month and begins retrograde motion on 14 March. It rises before midnight but because it is so small and faint, a large telescope is always needed to see it. The outermost planet in the solar system is located in the constellation Ophiuchus.

Minor Planets, Comets and Meteors

Minor Planets
A number of interesting minor planets populate the solar system.
Comets
There are no naked-eye comets visible this month.
Meteors
The Gamma Normids, a minor southern hemisphere meteor shower, peaks on 14 March. A nearly New Moon should not impair observations of this hard-to-detect shower.

The Celestial Sphere

Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recognizes 88 different constellations. The brightest stars as seen from the Earth are easy to spot but do you know their proper names? With a set of binoculars you can look for fainter objects such as nebulae and galaxies or some of the closest stars to the Sun.

Descriptions of the sky for observers in both the northern and southern hemispheres are available for the following times this month. Subtract one hour from your local time if daylight savings time is in effect.

Northern Hemisphere : 45° N

Southern Hemisphere : 30° S

For More Information...

Blue moons, eclipses, the dates of Easter and much more can be found at the Interactive Astronomy Pages. For more information about the objects and events described in SkyEye, visit these astronomy-related sites.

Credits

Much of this information can be found in this month's issue of Sky & Telescope and in other fine amateur astronomy magazines available in your local bookshop. Another excellent source is the current edition of the Astronomical Calendar by Guy Ottewell and published by the Universal Workshop at Furman University.

The image of the Sun in the SkyEye banner is courtesy of the SOHO/EIT consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.

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