The Night Sky - March 2026
This month all the naked eye visible planets will be seen at some point during the month. Mercury will be in the ESE in the early morning twilight, Venus will be low in the W during evening twilight. Mars is coming around from the far side of the sun and will be visible in the ESE morning twilight late in the month. Jupiter will be high in the S all month, will transit before 9 and set around 4 am. Saturn will be low in the W during twilight early in the month. Hopefully we are clear for the conjunction of the planets on Feb 28th.
If you want to try to see Uranus, it will be just below the Pleiades in Taurus all month. You will need strong binoculars or a small telescope. March is a good time to try to see some of the Messier objects, too, Most of them are visible if you stay up all night! That means the summer constellations are rising in the east before Sunrise gets too bright to see them. Equinox is also this month, so zodiacal light (triangular glow in the E or W before and after Sun rises or sets) and Gegenschein may be visible. Gegenschein is an oval brightening directly opposite from the Sun). This is a challenge to see, but I have seen it in local skies.
March 2 has the star Regulus (brightest star in Leo) just S of the Moon. On the 3rd, there is a full Moon and a Lunar Eclipse. This Full Moon is called the ‘Snow Blinding Moon’. The eclipse will begin in the early morning hours and reach the darkest part as the Sun rises. Could be pretty dramatic. Well worth taking a camera with you.
On March 7, Mercury will be in inferior conjunction (passing between the Earth and the Sun on the same side as Earth). On the 10th, Jupiter will be Stationary, the Moon at apogee (furthest from us) and Antares, the brightest star in Scorpius, the heart of Scorpius, will be just N of the Moon. This is a red star so see if you can see the colour.
On the 11th, it is last Quarter Moon, gegenschein could be visible in the S over the next two weeks, as Moonlight will not be ‘washing it out’. If you have a telescope, there will be a double shadow crossing on Jupiter in the evening. The Lunar Curtis X will be visible on the 12th and on the 17th Mercury will be N or the Moon and Mars will be S of the Moon. New Moon is on the 18th. Mercury is stationary on the 19th and look for a young crescent Moon in the W soon after Sun set. The 20th is Spring Equinox and Venus will be S of the Moon.
Equinox is the middle of the Solar year. Day and Night are equal in length, which is what the term means in Latin. Many cultures marked this important date with monuments. El Castillo at Chichen Itza is angled so the light from the stairs makes the feathered serpent climb to the top and more. Solstices are also venerated. The pyramids in Egypt are aligned for the Sun and certain stars. Many henges in the United Kingdom have their secrets.
Keep your eyes open for comets near the end of the Month. The Atlas comet that came from outer space, has passed by the Sun as near as it will, and it seems to be brightening a bit. Most likely only visible to Southern hemisphere viewers. Comet 2026 A1 (MAPS) might turn into something really spectacular. It is part of a group of comets that have produced very bright examples. This is a Kreutz Sungrazer, which means it is part of what was once a very large comet that broke apart when it came too close to the Sun. The brightest comets from the last three centuries have been part of this group. They still come very close to the Sun, grazing is an apt description. Some break into several smaller comets, but, if it survives its dive around the sun, it could be daylight visible.
Clear Skies.
