March begins with the moon in almost the same circumstances as in February, except shifted by one day as a result of that extra "leap day."
Full moon is March 8, with a close pairing of Mars on the same day. A couple of days later, the moon, Spica, and Saturn make a pleasant trio in the southeast near 11 p.m. March 25 and 26, first Jupiter, then Venus, take turns pairing up with our thin crescent satellite. Have you noticed how prominent the moon is on or near the full phase? It shines brightly in the east at sunset, casting its pale glow across the land. People tend not to think about where the moon is during the rest of the month - it's in the night time sky for half the cycle and it appears in daytime for the other half.
Mercury should be an easy target during the first half of March, as the angle of the ecliptic favours northern viewers. In fact, you should be able to see four planets in a row, with Mercury nearest the horizon, followed by Uranus, Venus, and Jupiter. In the same field, but invisible to the naked eye or even binoculars, are the dwarf planets Ceres and Eris. Ceres orbits the sun in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and, in 1801, was the first such asteroid (and the most massive) to be discovered. It is now classified as a dwarf planet. Eris circles about as far from the sun as it can get - three times further from the sun than Pluto, and it is the most massive in the class of trans-Neptunian dwarf planets.
Venus glows all evening in the western sky, sandwiched between Mercury and Jupiter for most of the month.
Mars is in opposition (on the opposite side of Earth from the sun) March 3. This is the most distant opposition in the 30 years from 1996 to 2026, and Mars presents a very small apparition. Even so, amateur astro-photographers have been obtaining clear images of the Red Planet for a few months, using the latest equipment and techniques.
Jupiter shares the western evening sky above bright Venus. The two planets trade positions March 11, as Jupiter makes its apparent dive toward the sun (remember, it's us doing the fast moves here on Earth).
Saturn rises in the east before midnight, crossing the sky all night. Watch for the nearby moon, just past full March 10.
Uranus and Neptune are not visible, lost in the sun's glare.
Watch for the Zodiacal Light in the evening western sky from March 10 to the 24.
- James Edgar has had an interest in the night sky all his life. He joined the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 2000. He is editor's assistant and a contributor to the Observer's Handbook, production manager of the bi-monthly RASC Journal and is the Society's National Secretary.
