Post by Dave Mitsky on Mar 2, 2022 5:04:56 GMT
March Celestial Calendar by Dave Mitsky
All times, unless otherwise noted, are UT (subtract five hours and, when appropriate, one calendar day for EST and four hours for EDT as of March 13th)
3/1 The Moon is 4 degrees south of Saturn at 0:00
3/2 Mercury is 0.7 degrees south of Saturn at 13:00; New Moon (lunation 1227) occurs at 17:35
3/5 Jupiter is in conjunction with the Sun at 14:00
3/7 The Moon is 0.8 degrees south of Uranus, with an occultation occurring in southwestern Polynesia, southeastern Melanesia, southeastern Australia, and a portion of eastern Antarctica at 6:00
3/9 The Moon is 0.3 degrees north of the dwarf planet/asteroid 1 Ceres, with an occultation occurring in northern Polynesia (except Hawaii), Micronesia, northern Melanesia, Papua New Guinea, eastern Indonesia, and northern and western Australia, at 7:00
3/10 The Lunar X (the Purbach or Werner Cross), an X-shaped clair-obscure illumination effect involving various rims and ridges between the craters La Caille, Blanchinus, and Purbach, is predicted to be visible at 6:48; First Quarter Moon occurs at 10:45; the Moon is at apogee, subtending 29' 34" from a distance of 404,268 kilometers (251,200 miles), at 23:04
3/12 Venus is 4 degrees north of Mars at 14:00
3/13 Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins today; Neptune is in conjunction with the Sun at 12:00
3/18 Full Moon (known as the Crow, Lenten, and Sap Moon) occurs at 7:18
3/20 Venus is at greatest western elongation (47 degrees) at 9:00; the vernal equinox occurs at 15:33; Mercury is 1.3 degrees south of Jupiter at 22:00
3/21 Mercury is at greatest heliocentric latitude south today; Venus is at dichotomy (50% illuminated) at 5:45
3/24 The Moon is at perigee, subtending 32' 19" from a distance of 369,760 kilometers (229,758 miles), at 23:37
3/25 Last Quarter Moon occurs at 5:37
3/26 The Curtiss Cross, an X-shaped clair-obscure illumination effect located between the craters Parry and Gambart, is predicted to be visible at 9:40
3/28 The Moon is 4 degrees south of Mars at 3:00; the Moon is 7 degrees south of Venus at 10:00; the Moon is 4 degrees south of Saturn at 12:00
3/29 Venus is 2 degrees north of Saturn at 13:00
3/30 The Moon is 4 degrees south of Jupiter at 15:00
Titan, Saturn’s largest satellite, was discovered on March 25, 1655 by the Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens. The English astronomer Edward Pigott discovered the spiral galaxy M63 (the Black Eye Galaxy) on March 23, 1779. The English astronomer Sir William Herschel discovered Uranus on March 13, 1781. The grand design spiral galaxy M101was discovered by the French astronomer Pierre Méchain on March 27, 1781. Asteroid 2 Pallas was discovered by the German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers on March 28, 1802. Asteroid 4 Vesta was discovered by Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers on March 29, 1807. The first photograph of the Moon was taken on March 23, 1840. The Czech astronomer Luboš Kohoutek discovered Comet C/1973 E1 (Kohoutek) on March 7, 1973. The rings of Uranus were discovered on March 10, 1977. The Spanish amateur astronomer Francisco Garcia Diaz discovered supernova SN 1993 in the spiral galaxy M81 (Bode's Galaxy) on March 28th, 1993.
The zodiacal light should be visible in the western sky after evening twilight from dark locations for two weeks starting on March 20th.
The major meteor showers that will occur this year are discussed at skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/best-meteor-showers-of-2022/
Information on passes of the ISS, the Tiangong, the USAF’s X-37B, the HST, Starlink, and other satellites can be found at www.heavens-above.com/
The Moon is 27.6 days old, is illuminated 4.8%, subtends 32.0 arc minutes, and is located in the constellation of Capricornus at 0:00 UT on March 1st. The Moon attains its greatest northern declination (+26.7 degrees) for the month on March 12th and greatest southern declination (-26.6 degrees) on March 25th. Longitudinal libration is at a maximum of +5.5 degrees on March 5th. It’s at a minimum of -5.2 degrees on March 17th. Latitudinal libration is at maximums of +6.5 degrees on March 2nd and +6.6 degrees on March 29th and a minimum of -6.6 on March 16th. Favorable librations occur for the following craters: Beals (March 5th), Neper (March 8th), Guthnick (March 18th), and Pascal (March 24th). The Lunar X takes place on March 10th and the Curtiss Cross occurs on March 26th. New Moon occurs on March 2nd. The Moon is at apogee on March 10th and at perigee on March 24th. The Moon occults Uranus on March 7th and 1 Ceres on March 9th from certain parts of the world. Browse www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/iotandx.htm for information on lunar occultation events. Visit saberdoesthestars.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/saber-does-the-stars/ for tips on spotting extreme crescent Moons and www.curtrenz.com/moon06.html for Full Moon data. Go to skyandtelescope.org/wp-content/uploads/MoonMap.pdf and celestron-site-support-files.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/support_files/Explore%20the%20Moon%20Map%2024%20x%2033%20RReeves-web.pdf and nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/docs/ObserveMoon.pdf for simple lunar maps. Click on astrostrona.pl/moon-map/ for an excellent online lunar map. Visit www.ap-i.net/avl/en/start to download the free Virtual Moon Atlas. Consult time.unitarium.com/moon/where.html for current information on the Moon and www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/lunarform/lunarform.html for information on various lunar features. See svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4955 a lunar phase and libration calculator and quickmap.lroc.asu.edu/?extent=-90,-25.2362636,90,25.2362636&proj=10&layers=NrBsFYBoAZIRnpEoAsjYIHYFcA2vIBvAXwF1SizSg for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Quickmap. Click on www.calendar-12.com/moon_calendar/2022/march for a lunar phase calendar for this month. Times and dates for the lunar crater light rays predicted to occur this month are available at www.lunar-occultations.com/rlo/rays/rays.htm
The Sun is in Aquarius on March 1st at 0:00 UT. It crosses the celestial equator at 15:33 UT on March 20th, bringing spring to the northern hemisphere. At the equinox, the Sun is located in Aries and has a longitude of zero degrees.
Brightness, apparent size, illumination, distance from the Earth in astronomical units, and location data for the planets and Pluto on March 1st: Mercury (magnitude -0.1, 5.9", 76%, 1.15 a.u., Capricornus), Venus (magnitude -4.7, 31.6", 38%, 0.53 a.u., Sagittarius), Mars (magnitude +1.3, 4.7", 94%, 2.00 a.u., Sagittarius), Jupiter (magnitude -2.0, 33.0", 100%, 5.97 a.u., Aquarius), Saturn (magnitude +0.8, 15.4", 100% illuminated, 10.82 a.u., Capricornus), Uranus (magnitude +5.8, 3.5", 100% illuminated, 20.38 a.u. on March 16th, Aries), Neptune (magnitude +8.0, 2.2", 100% illuminated, 30.91 a.u. on March 16th, Aquarius), and Pluto (magnitude +14.4, 0.1", 100% illuminated, 35.00 a.u. on March 16th, Sagittarius).
In the evening, Uranus can be seen in the west. In the morning sky, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn are in the east and Venus and Mars are in the southeast.
Venus, Mars, Pluto, and asteroid 4 Vesta are all located in Sagittarius early this month. Mercury and Saturn lie less than one degree apart low in the sky in Capricornus on March 2nd. Venus, Mars, and Saturn all lie within a binocular field of view in Capricornus on March 25th. A 26-day-old waning crescent Moon joins the three planets on March 28th. A graphic illustrating the March 28th event can be seen at www.facebook.com/Astronomical.League/photos/pcb.4909664575789662/4909651409124312/
The best morning apparition of Mercury of the year for southern hemisphere observers continues this month. Mercury passes 42 arc minutes south of Saturn on the morning of March 2nd. The speediest planet brightens during the early part of the month but eventually disappears into morning twilight. Mercury passes 1.3 degrees north of Jupiter on March 20th and achieves its southernmost latitude from the ecliptic plane on March 21st.
Venus rises more than two hours before the Sun on March 1st.Venus and Mars are approximately five degrees apart on March 1st. The two planets depart Sagittarius and enter Capricornus on March 6th. The brightest planet passes four degrees north of Mars on March 12th and reaches maximum western elongation on March 20th. Venus is nearly the same distance from Mars and Saturn on March 24th and March 25th, about four degrees, forming a planetary triangle that is almost nine degrees in altitude an hour before sunrise. Venus lies some seven degrees from the waning crescent Moon on March 28th and passes two degrees north of Saturn on March 29th.
Mars remains south of brilliant Venus throughout the month. The two planets are closest on March 15th, when they are separated by 3.9 degrees.
Jupiter is in solar conjunction on March 5th and won't be visible until the end of March.
Saturn’s brightness and angular size change very little this month. The Ringed Planet's elongation from the Sun increases from 22 degrees on March 1st to 49 degrees on March 31st. For information on the major satellites of Saturn, browse skyandtelescope.org/observing/interactive-sky-watching-tools/
Uranus is located 44 arc minutes southeast of the sixth-magnitude star 29 Arietis as March begins. The waxing crescent Moon passes 0.8 degrees south of Uranus on March 7th. Uranus can be found within 18 arc minutes of a seventh-magnitude red giant star from March 14 to March 23rd. By the end of the month, Uranus lies 0.8 degrees due west of the sixth-magnitude star Omicron Arietis. A finder chart for Uranus can be found at www.nakedeyeplanets.com/uranus.htm
Click on skyandtelescope.org/observing/interactive-sky-watching-tools/ for JavaScript utilities that will illustrate the positions of the five brightest satellites of Uranus.
Neptune is in solar conjunction on March 13th and will not be visible again until April.
The dwarf planet Pluto is not a viable target this month.
For more on the planets and how to locate them, browse www.nakedeyeplanets.com/
A summary on the planets for March can be found at skynews.ca/march-2022-planets-at-a-glance/
The graphic at www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/planets/distance displays the apparent and comparative sizes of the planets, along with their magnitudes and distances, for a given date and time.
The periodic comet 19P/Borrelly shines at tenth magnitude as it travels northeastward from Aries to Perseus during March. It passes about three degrees south of 41 Arietis on March 4th and less than two degrees south of NGC 1499 (the California Nebula) on March 25th. The periodic comet 9P/Tempel (magnitude +11.2) is at perihelion in Sagittarius on March 3th. The periodic comet 22P/Kopff (magnitude +10.4) is at perihelion in Capricornus on March 16th. Visit cometchasing.skyhound.com/ and www.aerith.net/comet/future-n.html and cobs.si/ for additional information on these and other comets visible this month.
A list of the closest approaches of comets to the Earth is posted at www.cometography.com/nearcomet.html
The dwarf planet/asteroid 1 Ceres shines at ninth magnitude as it continues northeastward through Taurus this month. It lies just east of the fourth-magnitude star 37 Tauri on March 1st and several degrees north of the fourth-magnitude star Tau Tauri as March comes to a close. Asteroids brighter than magnitude +11.0 that reach opposition this month include 16 Psyche (magnitude +10.5) in Leo on March 3rd and 39 Laetitia (magnitude +10.6) in Virgo on March 15th. Consult asteroidoccultation.com/2022_03_si.htm for information on asteroid occultation events taking place this month. Visit www.curtrenz.com/asteroids.html to learn more about a number of asteroids.
A wealth of information on solar system celestial bodies is posted at nineplanets.org/ and www.curtrenz.com/astronomy.html
Information on the celestial events transpiring each week can be found at astronomy.com/skythisweek and www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/
A monthly podcast on various astronomical topics is available at www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/astronomy-podcasts/
Free star charts for the month can be downloaded at www.skymaps.com/downloads.html and whatsouttonight.com/
The famous eclipsing variable star Algol (Beta Persei) is at a minimum, decreasing in magnitude from 2.1 to 3.4, on March 1st, 4th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 18th, 21st, 24th. 27th, and 30th. Consult page 49 of the March 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope for the times of the minima. The Demon Star is at minimum brightness for approximately two hours centered at 12:17 a.m. EST on March 4th, at 9:06 p.m. EST on March 6th, at 11:51 p.m. EDT on March 26th, and 8:41 p.m. EDT on March 29th. For more on Algol, see stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/Algol.html and www.solstation.com/stars2/algol3.htm
Data on current supernovae can be found at www.rochesterastronomy.org/snimages/
Information on observing some of the more prominent galaxies in the Messier Catalog is available at www.cloudynights.com/topic/358295-how-to-locate-some-of-the-major-messier-galaxies-and-helpful-advice-for-novice-amateur-astronomers/
Finder charts for the Messier objects and other deep-sky objects are posted at freestarcharts.com/messier and freestarcharts.com/ngc-ic and www.cambridge.org/turnleft/seasonal_skies_january-march
Telrad finder charts for the Messier Catalog and the SAC’s 110 Best of the NGC are posted at www.custerobservatory.org/docs/messier2.pdf and www.star-shine.ch/astro/messiercharts/messierTelrad.htm and www.saguaroastro.org/wp-content/sac-docs/Book110BestNGC.pdf
Steve Tonkin's The Binocular Sky Newsletter for March can be seen at binocularsky.com/newsletter/BinoSkyNL.pdf
Author Phil Harrington offers an excellent freeware planetarium program for binocular observers known as TUBA (Touring the Universe through Binoculars Atlas) at www.philharrington.net/tuba.htm
Stellarium and Cartes du Ciel are useful freeware planetarium programs that are available at stellarium.org/ and www.ap-i.net/skychart/en/start
Deep-sky object list generators can be found at www.virtualcolony.com/sac/ and telescopius.com/ and tonightssky.com/MainPage.php
Freeware sky atlases can be downloaded at www.deepskywatch.com/files/deepsky-atlas/Deep-Sky-Hunter-atlas-full.pdf and www.cloudynights.com/articles/cat/articles/observing-skills/free-mag-7-star-charts-r1021 and allans-stuff.com/triatlas/
Thirty binary and multiple stars for March: Struve 1173, Struve 1181, Struve 1187, Zeta Cancri, 24 Cancri, Phi-2 Cancri, Iota-1 Cancri, Struve 1245, Iota-2 Cancri, 66 Cancri, Struve 1327 (Cancer); Struve 1270, Epsilon Hydrae, 15 Hydrae, 17 Hydrae, Theta Hydrae, 27 Hydrae, Struve 1347, Struve 1357, Struve 1365 (Hydra); 3 Leonis, Struve 1360, 6 Leonis, Omicron Leonis (Leo); Struve 1274, Struve 1282, Struve 1333, 38 Lyncis, Struve 1369 (Lynx); h4046 (Puppis)
Notable carbon star for March: T Cancri (Cancer)
Thirty-five deep-sky objects for March: M44, M67, NGC 2775 (Cancer); Abell 33, M48, NGC 2610, NGC 2642, NGC 2811, NGC 2835, NGC 2855, NGC 2935, NGC 2992, NGC 3052, NGC 3078 (Hydra); NGC 2903, NGC 2916, NGC 2964, NGC 2968, NGC 3020 (Leo); NGC 2859, NGC 3003, NGC 3021 (Leo Minor); NGC 2683 (Lynx); NGC 2567, NGC 2571 (Puppis); M81, M82, NGC 2639, NGC 2654, NGC 2681, NGC 2685, NGC 2742, NGC 2768, NGC 2787, NGC 2841, NGC 2880, NGC 2950, NGC 2976, NGC 2985 (Ursa Major)
Top ten binocular deep-sky objects for March: M44, M48, M67, M81, M82, NGC 2571, NGC 2683, NGC 2841, NGC 2903, NGC 2976
Top ten deep-sky objects for March: M44, M48, M67, M81, M82, NGC 2654, NGC 2683, NGC 2835, NGC 2841, NGC 2903
Challenge deep-sky object for March: Abell 30 (Cancer)
The objects listed above are located between 8:00 and 10:00 hours of right ascension.
All times, unless otherwise noted, are UT (subtract five hours and, when appropriate, one calendar day for EST and four hours for EDT as of March 13th)
3/1 The Moon is 4 degrees south of Saturn at 0:00
3/2 Mercury is 0.7 degrees south of Saturn at 13:00; New Moon (lunation 1227) occurs at 17:35
3/5 Jupiter is in conjunction with the Sun at 14:00
3/7 The Moon is 0.8 degrees south of Uranus, with an occultation occurring in southwestern Polynesia, southeastern Melanesia, southeastern Australia, and a portion of eastern Antarctica at 6:00
3/9 The Moon is 0.3 degrees north of the dwarf planet/asteroid 1 Ceres, with an occultation occurring in northern Polynesia (except Hawaii), Micronesia, northern Melanesia, Papua New Guinea, eastern Indonesia, and northern and western Australia, at 7:00
3/10 The Lunar X (the Purbach or Werner Cross), an X-shaped clair-obscure illumination effect involving various rims and ridges between the craters La Caille, Blanchinus, and Purbach, is predicted to be visible at 6:48; First Quarter Moon occurs at 10:45; the Moon is at apogee, subtending 29' 34" from a distance of 404,268 kilometers (251,200 miles), at 23:04
3/12 Venus is 4 degrees north of Mars at 14:00
3/13 Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins today; Neptune is in conjunction with the Sun at 12:00
3/18 Full Moon (known as the Crow, Lenten, and Sap Moon) occurs at 7:18
3/20 Venus is at greatest western elongation (47 degrees) at 9:00; the vernal equinox occurs at 15:33; Mercury is 1.3 degrees south of Jupiter at 22:00
3/21 Mercury is at greatest heliocentric latitude south today; Venus is at dichotomy (50% illuminated) at 5:45
3/24 The Moon is at perigee, subtending 32' 19" from a distance of 369,760 kilometers (229,758 miles), at 23:37
3/25 Last Quarter Moon occurs at 5:37
3/26 The Curtiss Cross, an X-shaped clair-obscure illumination effect located between the craters Parry and Gambart, is predicted to be visible at 9:40
3/28 The Moon is 4 degrees south of Mars at 3:00; the Moon is 7 degrees south of Venus at 10:00; the Moon is 4 degrees south of Saturn at 12:00
3/29 Venus is 2 degrees north of Saturn at 13:00
3/30 The Moon is 4 degrees south of Jupiter at 15:00
Titan, Saturn’s largest satellite, was discovered on March 25, 1655 by the Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens. The English astronomer Edward Pigott discovered the spiral galaxy M63 (the Black Eye Galaxy) on March 23, 1779. The English astronomer Sir William Herschel discovered Uranus on March 13, 1781. The grand design spiral galaxy M101was discovered by the French astronomer Pierre Méchain on March 27, 1781. Asteroid 2 Pallas was discovered by the German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers on March 28, 1802. Asteroid 4 Vesta was discovered by Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers on March 29, 1807. The first photograph of the Moon was taken on March 23, 1840. The Czech astronomer Luboš Kohoutek discovered Comet C/1973 E1 (Kohoutek) on March 7, 1973. The rings of Uranus were discovered on March 10, 1977. The Spanish amateur astronomer Francisco Garcia Diaz discovered supernova SN 1993 in the spiral galaxy M81 (Bode's Galaxy) on March 28th, 1993.
The zodiacal light should be visible in the western sky after evening twilight from dark locations for two weeks starting on March 20th.
The major meteor showers that will occur this year are discussed at skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/best-meteor-showers-of-2022/
Information on passes of the ISS, the Tiangong, the USAF’s X-37B, the HST, Starlink, and other satellites can be found at www.heavens-above.com/
The Moon is 27.6 days old, is illuminated 4.8%, subtends 32.0 arc minutes, and is located in the constellation of Capricornus at 0:00 UT on March 1st. The Moon attains its greatest northern declination (+26.7 degrees) for the month on March 12th and greatest southern declination (-26.6 degrees) on March 25th. Longitudinal libration is at a maximum of +5.5 degrees on March 5th. It’s at a minimum of -5.2 degrees on March 17th. Latitudinal libration is at maximums of +6.5 degrees on March 2nd and +6.6 degrees on March 29th and a minimum of -6.6 on March 16th. Favorable librations occur for the following craters: Beals (March 5th), Neper (March 8th), Guthnick (March 18th), and Pascal (March 24th). The Lunar X takes place on March 10th and the Curtiss Cross occurs on March 26th. New Moon occurs on March 2nd. The Moon is at apogee on March 10th and at perigee on March 24th. The Moon occults Uranus on March 7th and 1 Ceres on March 9th from certain parts of the world. Browse www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/iotandx.htm for information on lunar occultation events. Visit saberdoesthestars.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/saber-does-the-stars/ for tips on spotting extreme crescent Moons and www.curtrenz.com/moon06.html for Full Moon data. Go to skyandtelescope.org/wp-content/uploads/MoonMap.pdf and celestron-site-support-files.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/support_files/Explore%20the%20Moon%20Map%2024%20x%2033%20RReeves-web.pdf and nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/docs/ObserveMoon.pdf for simple lunar maps. Click on astrostrona.pl/moon-map/ for an excellent online lunar map. Visit www.ap-i.net/avl/en/start to download the free Virtual Moon Atlas. Consult time.unitarium.com/moon/where.html for current information on the Moon and www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/lunarform/lunarform.html for information on various lunar features. See svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4955 a lunar phase and libration calculator and quickmap.lroc.asu.edu/?extent=-90,-25.2362636,90,25.2362636&proj=10&layers=NrBsFYBoAZIRnpEoAsjYIHYFcA2vIBvAXwF1SizSg for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Quickmap. Click on www.calendar-12.com/moon_calendar/2022/march for a lunar phase calendar for this month. Times and dates for the lunar crater light rays predicted to occur this month are available at www.lunar-occultations.com/rlo/rays/rays.htm
The Sun is in Aquarius on March 1st at 0:00 UT. It crosses the celestial equator at 15:33 UT on March 20th, bringing spring to the northern hemisphere. At the equinox, the Sun is located in Aries and has a longitude of zero degrees.
Brightness, apparent size, illumination, distance from the Earth in astronomical units, and location data for the planets and Pluto on March 1st: Mercury (magnitude -0.1, 5.9", 76%, 1.15 a.u., Capricornus), Venus (magnitude -4.7, 31.6", 38%, 0.53 a.u., Sagittarius), Mars (magnitude +1.3, 4.7", 94%, 2.00 a.u., Sagittarius), Jupiter (magnitude -2.0, 33.0", 100%, 5.97 a.u., Aquarius), Saturn (magnitude +0.8, 15.4", 100% illuminated, 10.82 a.u., Capricornus), Uranus (magnitude +5.8, 3.5", 100% illuminated, 20.38 a.u. on March 16th, Aries), Neptune (magnitude +8.0, 2.2", 100% illuminated, 30.91 a.u. on March 16th, Aquarius), and Pluto (magnitude +14.4, 0.1", 100% illuminated, 35.00 a.u. on March 16th, Sagittarius).
In the evening, Uranus can be seen in the west. In the morning sky, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn are in the east and Venus and Mars are in the southeast.
Venus, Mars, Pluto, and asteroid 4 Vesta are all located in Sagittarius early this month. Mercury and Saturn lie less than one degree apart low in the sky in Capricornus on March 2nd. Venus, Mars, and Saturn all lie within a binocular field of view in Capricornus on March 25th. A 26-day-old waning crescent Moon joins the three planets on March 28th. A graphic illustrating the March 28th event can be seen at www.facebook.com/Astronomical.League/photos/pcb.4909664575789662/4909651409124312/
The best morning apparition of Mercury of the year for southern hemisphere observers continues this month. Mercury passes 42 arc minutes south of Saturn on the morning of March 2nd. The speediest planet brightens during the early part of the month but eventually disappears into morning twilight. Mercury passes 1.3 degrees north of Jupiter on March 20th and achieves its southernmost latitude from the ecliptic plane on March 21st.
Venus rises more than two hours before the Sun on March 1st.Venus and Mars are approximately five degrees apart on March 1st. The two planets depart Sagittarius and enter Capricornus on March 6th. The brightest planet passes four degrees north of Mars on March 12th and reaches maximum western elongation on March 20th. Venus is nearly the same distance from Mars and Saturn on March 24th and March 25th, about four degrees, forming a planetary triangle that is almost nine degrees in altitude an hour before sunrise. Venus lies some seven degrees from the waning crescent Moon on March 28th and passes two degrees north of Saturn on March 29th.
Mars remains south of brilliant Venus throughout the month. The two planets are closest on March 15th, when they are separated by 3.9 degrees.
Jupiter is in solar conjunction on March 5th and won't be visible until the end of March.
Saturn’s brightness and angular size change very little this month. The Ringed Planet's elongation from the Sun increases from 22 degrees on March 1st to 49 degrees on March 31st. For information on the major satellites of Saturn, browse skyandtelescope.org/observing/interactive-sky-watching-tools/
Uranus is located 44 arc minutes southeast of the sixth-magnitude star 29 Arietis as March begins. The waxing crescent Moon passes 0.8 degrees south of Uranus on March 7th. Uranus can be found within 18 arc minutes of a seventh-magnitude red giant star from March 14 to March 23rd. By the end of the month, Uranus lies 0.8 degrees due west of the sixth-magnitude star Omicron Arietis. A finder chart for Uranus can be found at www.nakedeyeplanets.com/uranus.htm
Click on skyandtelescope.org/observing/interactive-sky-watching-tools/ for JavaScript utilities that will illustrate the positions of the five brightest satellites of Uranus.
Neptune is in solar conjunction on March 13th and will not be visible again until April.
The dwarf planet Pluto is not a viable target this month.
For more on the planets and how to locate them, browse www.nakedeyeplanets.com/
A summary on the planets for March can be found at skynews.ca/march-2022-planets-at-a-glance/
The graphic at www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/planets/distance displays the apparent and comparative sizes of the planets, along with their magnitudes and distances, for a given date and time.
The periodic comet 19P/Borrelly shines at tenth magnitude as it travels northeastward from Aries to Perseus during March. It passes about three degrees south of 41 Arietis on March 4th and less than two degrees south of NGC 1499 (the California Nebula) on March 25th. The periodic comet 9P/Tempel (magnitude +11.2) is at perihelion in Sagittarius on March 3th. The periodic comet 22P/Kopff (magnitude +10.4) is at perihelion in Capricornus on March 16th. Visit cometchasing.skyhound.com/ and www.aerith.net/comet/future-n.html and cobs.si/ for additional information on these and other comets visible this month.
A list of the closest approaches of comets to the Earth is posted at www.cometography.com/nearcomet.html
The dwarf planet/asteroid 1 Ceres shines at ninth magnitude as it continues northeastward through Taurus this month. It lies just east of the fourth-magnitude star 37 Tauri on March 1st and several degrees north of the fourth-magnitude star Tau Tauri as March comes to a close. Asteroids brighter than magnitude +11.0 that reach opposition this month include 16 Psyche (magnitude +10.5) in Leo on March 3rd and 39 Laetitia (magnitude +10.6) in Virgo on March 15th. Consult asteroidoccultation.com/2022_03_si.htm for information on asteroid occultation events taking place this month. Visit www.curtrenz.com/asteroids.html to learn more about a number of asteroids.
A wealth of information on solar system celestial bodies is posted at nineplanets.org/ and www.curtrenz.com/astronomy.html
Information on the celestial events transpiring each week can be found at astronomy.com/skythisweek and www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/sky-at-a-glance/
A monthly podcast on various astronomical topics is available at www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/astronomy-podcasts/
Free star charts for the month can be downloaded at www.skymaps.com/downloads.html and whatsouttonight.com/
The famous eclipsing variable star Algol (Beta Persei) is at a minimum, decreasing in magnitude from 2.1 to 3.4, on March 1st, 4th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 18th, 21st, 24th. 27th, and 30th. Consult page 49 of the March 2022 issue of Sky & Telescope for the times of the minima. The Demon Star is at minimum brightness for approximately two hours centered at 12:17 a.m. EST on March 4th, at 9:06 p.m. EST on March 6th, at 11:51 p.m. EDT on March 26th, and 8:41 p.m. EDT on March 29th. For more on Algol, see stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/Algol.html and www.solstation.com/stars2/algol3.htm
Data on current supernovae can be found at www.rochesterastronomy.org/snimages/
Information on observing some of the more prominent galaxies in the Messier Catalog is available at www.cloudynights.com/topic/358295-how-to-locate-some-of-the-major-messier-galaxies-and-helpful-advice-for-novice-amateur-astronomers/
Finder charts for the Messier objects and other deep-sky objects are posted at freestarcharts.com/messier and freestarcharts.com/ngc-ic and www.cambridge.org/turnleft/seasonal_skies_january-march
Telrad finder charts for the Messier Catalog and the SAC’s 110 Best of the NGC are posted at www.custerobservatory.org/docs/messier2.pdf and www.star-shine.ch/astro/messiercharts/messierTelrad.htm and www.saguaroastro.org/wp-content/sac-docs/Book110BestNGC.pdf
Steve Tonkin's The Binocular Sky Newsletter for March can be seen at binocularsky.com/newsletter/BinoSkyNL.pdf
Author Phil Harrington offers an excellent freeware planetarium program for binocular observers known as TUBA (Touring the Universe through Binoculars Atlas) at www.philharrington.net/tuba.htm
Stellarium and Cartes du Ciel are useful freeware planetarium programs that are available at stellarium.org/ and www.ap-i.net/skychart/en/start
Deep-sky object list generators can be found at www.virtualcolony.com/sac/ and telescopius.com/ and tonightssky.com/MainPage.php
Freeware sky atlases can be downloaded at www.deepskywatch.com/files/deepsky-atlas/Deep-Sky-Hunter-atlas-full.pdf and www.cloudynights.com/articles/cat/articles/observing-skills/free-mag-7-star-charts-r1021 and allans-stuff.com/triatlas/
Thirty binary and multiple stars for March: Struve 1173, Struve 1181, Struve 1187, Zeta Cancri, 24 Cancri, Phi-2 Cancri, Iota-1 Cancri, Struve 1245, Iota-2 Cancri, 66 Cancri, Struve 1327 (Cancer); Struve 1270, Epsilon Hydrae, 15 Hydrae, 17 Hydrae, Theta Hydrae, 27 Hydrae, Struve 1347, Struve 1357, Struve 1365 (Hydra); 3 Leonis, Struve 1360, 6 Leonis, Omicron Leonis (Leo); Struve 1274, Struve 1282, Struve 1333, 38 Lyncis, Struve 1369 (Lynx); h4046 (Puppis)
Notable carbon star for March: T Cancri (Cancer)
Thirty-five deep-sky objects for March: M44, M67, NGC 2775 (Cancer); Abell 33, M48, NGC 2610, NGC 2642, NGC 2811, NGC 2835, NGC 2855, NGC 2935, NGC 2992, NGC 3052, NGC 3078 (Hydra); NGC 2903, NGC 2916, NGC 2964, NGC 2968, NGC 3020 (Leo); NGC 2859, NGC 3003, NGC 3021 (Leo Minor); NGC 2683 (Lynx); NGC 2567, NGC 2571 (Puppis); M81, M82, NGC 2639, NGC 2654, NGC 2681, NGC 2685, NGC 2742, NGC 2768, NGC 2787, NGC 2841, NGC 2880, NGC 2950, NGC 2976, NGC 2985 (Ursa Major)
Top ten binocular deep-sky objects for March: M44, M48, M67, M81, M82, NGC 2571, NGC 2683, NGC 2841, NGC 2903, NGC 2976
Top ten deep-sky objects for March: M44, M48, M67, M81, M82, NGC 2654, NGC 2683, NGC 2835, NGC 2841, NGC 2903
Challenge deep-sky object for March: Abell 30 (Cancer)
The objects listed above are located between 8:00 and 10:00 hours of right ascension.