March 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 DST after the night of March 10)

3/1 The Moon is 1.9 degrees north of the bright open cluster M44 (the Beehive or Praesepe) in Cancer at 1:00
3/2 Saturn is 1.1 degrees south of the Moon - an occultation is visible from western Russia and much of Europe - at 2:00; the Moon is 1.1 degrees north of the first magnitude star Regulus (Alpha Leonis) - an occultation is visible from east central Asia and the Arctic - at 21:00
3/3 Full Moon (known as the Crow, Lenten, and Sap Moon) occurs at 23:17 - a complete total lunar eclipse is visible from Europe and Africa
3/5 A minimum lunar libration of 1.8 degrees occurs at 2:00; Uranus is in conjunction with the Sun at 16:00
3/6 Mars is 4.0 degrees north of the Moon at 1:00
3/7 The Moon is at apogee, subtending 29'27" from a distance of 405,853 km, at 4:00; Mercury is stationary at 10:00; the Moon is 1.3 degrees south of the first magnitude star Spica (Alpha Virginis) at 11:00
3/9 Jupiter reaches western quadrature, i.e., the planet is 90 degrees west of the Sun, today
3/11 Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins today; the Moon is 0.7 degrees south of the first magnitude star Antares (Alpha Scorpii) - an occultation is visible from Antarctica and the southern portion of South America - at 6:00
3/12 Jupiter is 6.0 degrees north of the Moon at 0:00; Last Quarter Moon occurs at 3:54; a maximum lunar libration of 10.0 degrees occurs at 21:00
3/15 Mercury is at the descending node today
3/16 Venus is at the ascending node today; Mars is 1.9 degrees north of the Moon at 1:00; Neptune is 2.0 degrees north of the Moon at 13:00
3/17 Mercury is 1.4 degrees north of the Moon - an occultation is visible from south of New Zealand - at 3:00
3/19 New Moon (lunation 1043) occurs at 2:43; a partial solar eclipse is visible from northwestern Alaska, northeastern Russia, and eastern Asia; a minimum lunar libration of 2.2 degrees occurs at 6:00; the Moon is at perigee, subtending 33'24" from a distance of 357,815 kilometers, at 19:00 - large tides will result
3/21 The vernal equinox occurs at 0:07; Venus is 4 degrees south of the Moon at 15:00
3/22 Asteroid 1 Ceres is in conjunction with the Sun today; Mercury is at its greatest western elongation of 27.7 degrees at 2:00; a double Galilean satellite shadow transit (Ganymede's shadow is followed by Europa's) begins at 14:04
3/23 The Moon is 1.0 degree north of the bright open cluster M45 (the Pleiades) in Taurus at 6:00
3/25 Mars is 1.0 degree south of Neptune at 7:00; a maximum lunar libration of 9.8 degrees occurs at 9:00; First Quarter Moon occurs at 18:16
3/26 Mercury is at aphelion today
3/28 The Moon is 1.8 degrees north of M44 at 6:00
3/29 Saturn is 1.2 degrees south of the Moon - an occultation is visible from western Russia and much of Europe - at 4:00; a double shadow transit (Ganymede's shadow is followed by Europa's) begins at 16:36
3/30 The Moon is 1.1 degrees north of Regulus - an occultation is visible from western Europe and the Arctic - at 3:00

The zodiacal light is visible in the west after evening twilight from a dark site during the first half of March.

On the evening of March 3, the Moon rises in total eclipse for observers in the eastern United States. Mid-eclipse occurs at 6:21 p.m. EST. Totality ends at 6:58 p.m. EST. The Moon occults the fifth magnitude star 59 Leonis during the eclipse. Shortly after 1:30 a.m. EST on the morning of March 11, an occultation of the third magnitude star Tau Scorpii is visible from some parts of the East Coast. The Moon is at its greatest southern declination of -29 degrees on March 12 and its greatest northern declination of +29 degrees on March 25. It is 11.3 days old at 0:00 UT on March 1. The first photograph of the Moon was taken on March 23, 1840. Times and dates for the lunar light rays predicted to occur this month are available at http://www.lunar-occultations.com/rlo/rays/rays.htm

Brightness, apparent size, illumination, distance from the Earth in astronomical units, and location data for the planets and Pluto on March 1: Mercury (2.8 magnitude, 10.5", 78% illuminated, 1.1 a.u., Capricornus), Venus (-4.0 magnitude, 11.0", 92% illuminated, 1.5 a.u., Pisces), Mars (1.3 magnitude, 4.2", 97% illuminated, 2.2 a.u., Capricornus), Jupiter (-2.1 magnitude, 33.9", 99% illuminated, 5.8 a.u., Ophiuchus), Saturn (1.3 magnitude, 20.2", 100% illuminated, 8.2 a.u., Leo), Uranus (5.9 magnitude, 3.4", 100% illuminated, 20.9 a.u., Aquarius), Neptune (8.0 magnitude, 2.2", 100% illuminated, 31.0 a.u., Capricornus), and Pluto (14.0 magnitude, 0.1", 100% illuminated, 31.9 a.u., Sagittarius).

The locations of the classical planets at midmonth are as follows: Mercury is visible in the east during morning twilight; Venus can be found in the western sky during evening twilight and sets at approximately 10:00 p.m. DST; Mars and Jupiter rise in the southeast at 6:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. DST respectively; Saturn is in the eastern sky at nightfall, culminates in the south at 11:00 p.m. DST, and sets in the west at 6:00 a.m. DST.

Mercury shines at magnitude 0.1 and has an apparent diameter of 7.4" and an illumination of 53% when it is at greatest western elongation on the morning of March 22. The angular separation of the planet from the Sun is a near maximum 27.7 degrees but for mid-northern latitude observers Mercury is only five degrees above the eastern horizon shortly before the Sun rises.

Venus shines brightly at magnitude -3.9 as it climbs 7 degrees higher in the southwestern sky during March. It enters the constellation of Aries at midmonth. By the end of the month, Venus sets three hours after the Sun.

During March, Mars continues to be a dim morning twilight object for mid-northern latitude observers.

Since Jupiter reaches quadrature this month, its shadow is cast well to the west. Eclipses of the Galilean satellites are enhanced as a result. Click on http://skyandtelescope.com/observing...icle_107_1.asp to determine transits of the central meridian by the Great Red Spot. Data on the Galilean satellites is available at http://skytonight.com/observing/obje...t/3307071.html

In March, Saturn's rings span 9" by 43". Titan (magnitude 8.4) passes north of Saturn on the nights of March 8 and March 24 and south of it on the night of March 15. During the first week of the month, Iapetus, which has a minimum magnitude of 11.9, is at its dimmer eastern elongation. Iapetus is due east or west of Saturn by the listed separations at 0 hours UT on the following dates: March 1 (38" east), March 7 (42" east), March 13 (36" east), March 17 (28" east), March 21 (17" east), March 25 (4" east), March 27 (2" west) and March 31 (15" west). During March, Rhea shines at a magnitude of 9.7, Tethys at 10.2, Dione at 10.4, and Enceladus at 11.3. For further information on Saturn’s satellites, browse http://skytonight.com/observing/obje...t/3308506.html

Because Uranus is in conjunction with the Sun on March 5, it is not observable this month.

A very difficult target, Neptune is located one degree north of Mars on the morning of March 25.

Located to the northeast of Jupiter, Pluto is still a difficult target in the morning sky.

This month two comets run on nearly parallel courses. The fading Comet P/2001 Q2 (Petriew) decreases in brightness from tenth to eleventh magnitude as it tracks through Cetus. Another periodic comet lies approximately ten degrees to the north. As it passes through Pisces and Aries towards an April perihelion, Comet 2P/Encke brightens from eleventh to eighth magnitude. Comet Petriew is just four degrees to the southeast of Venus and Comet Encke nine degrees to its northwest on the evening of March 15. On the evenings of March 24 and 25, Comet Encke is located less than one degree from the face-on spiral galaxy M74 in Pisces.

During March, asteroid 23 Thalia (magnitude 9.8) passes westward through northern Virgo. It passes north of the spiral galaxies M91 and M88 during the second week of the month. On the nights of March 20 and March 21, the asteroid is approximately 25' north of the face-on spiral galaxy M100.

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)

Challenge binary star for March: Struve 1216 (Hydra)

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 10 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)

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