Stars, constellations

Sun

Autumn is well under way in March. The 21st marks the Equinox, or equal day and night, meaning that the Sun has crossed the celestial equator and is heading back into the northern sky.

Moon

New Moon is on March 7 and First Quarter occurs on March 14. Full Moon falls on March 21 with Last Quarter following on the 28th.

Planets

Mercury moves into the morning sky after the 15th and by the end of the month it rises two hours before the Sun. Look for a bright, tawny coloured star, low in the east, from around 6am.

Venus rises around three hours before the Sun. Tomorrow, the crescent Moon appears just over one degree from the planet.

Mars is low in the northwest evening sky, setting two hours after the Sun. On the 11th and 12th of the month the planet will be few degrees away from the Moon.

Jupiter rises before midnight by mid-month and is an unmistakable object in the eastern sky. On the morning of the 27th the Moon and Jupiter will be just over five degrees apart.

Saturn rises two hours after Jupiter and is well positioned for observation by 4am. At the start of the month, the Moon will be a short distance away from the ringed planet.

Orion has now moved into the western sky. Other than Eridanus and Cetus, that area appears relatively empty of stars.

The northwestern sky is somewhat richer. Close to setting are the Pleiades. Slightly above them can be found the V-shaped constellation of Taurus.

Almost directly north is Gemini, with its two bright stars, Castor and Pollux. Further east is Leo, with its main star, Regulus.

Overhead are a number of the summer constellations, including Canis Major, Puppis and Carina. Two brilliant stars stand out – Sirius and Canopus.

The southern quadrant contains the Southern Cross, the Pointers, both Magellanic Clouds, and, towards the southwest, the star Achernar.

Our eastern sky has little visible other than the very long, but rather faint, Hydra. Later in the evening, Spica will rise almost due east.

The Milky Way runs overhead from northwest to southeast.

– Tom Whelan, Cape Egmont Observatory