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Dark Skies Brighten Viewing Prospects

By Lewis McCool

Found in: | Outside |

Moon Phases

First quarter: March 4, 12:46 a.m.

Full: March 10, 8:38 p.m. (Crust Moon)*.

Last quarter: March 18, 11:47 a.m.

New: March 26, 10:06 a.m.

*March’s full moon is frequently dubbed the “Worm Moon,” as ground thaws, worms reappear and attract birds of spring, typically robins. However, one of the alternate names, the “Crust Moon,” seems more appropriate to me. That refers to the freeze-thaw cycle that forms a crust on the last of winter’s snowpack. Late season skiers can find crust on the first run of the day. Hardly stargazers who head for the amazing night skies of the high country likely will encounter crust too.

In History

March 3, 1969 – Apollo 9 was launched from Cape Canaveral (then known as Cape Kennedy). The 10-day mission in Earth orbit tested the components needed for landing on the moon.

March 4, 1835 – Birth date of Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli, who popularized the notion of “canals” on Mars.

March 4-5, 1979 – U.S. Voyager 1 craft discovered Jupiter’s ring and flew past the planet. It discovered volcanic activity on Jupiter’s moon Io three days later.

March 9, 1934 – Birth date of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first person to orbit Earth. He died March 27, 1968, when his MiG-15 jet crashed during a training mission.

March 13, 1855 – Birth date of wealthy astronomer Percival Lowell. He established the observatory that bears his name near Flagstaff, Ariz.

March 13, 1781 – British astronomer William Herschel discovered Uranus, the first planet discovered by use of a telescope.

March 14, 1879 – Birth date of Albert Einstein.

March 16, 1926 – American rocketry pioneer Robert Goddard launched the first liquid-fuel rocket.

March 18, 1965 – Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov took the first “space walk.”

March 29, 1974 – U.S. Mariner 10 craft made the first close-up photographs of Mercury.

The return to Daylight Saving Time at 2 a.m. on March 8 foreshadows the arrival of spring at 5:45 a.m. on the 20th. It's the season to seek out the dark skies and warming evenings of the Colorado Plateau.

For me, southeastern Utah is ideal. There you can find countless sites for car camping and stargazing. The Harts Point/Needles Overlook area near Canyonlands National Park is about as good as it gets. Many informal, free, easily accessible sites provide stunning vistas and require only a few hours' drive from many communities in the Four Corners region. Check the weather forecast for clear skies and then head out.

At the beginning of the month, Venus will be shining brightly high in the western sky after sunset. It's rapidly moving toward the sun, though, and will be lost in the sun's glare before month's end. A telescope will reveal the planet's phase during the first half of March. From night to night, Venus sets earlier, its disk grows larger while the illuminated crescent gets thinner.

Venus moves between Earth and the sun (inferior conjunction) on the 25th and will be visible as the "morning star" in early April.

With Venus' departure, Saturn becomes the dominant orb in the evening sky. In fact, it'll be the only naked-eye planet visible in the evening. Although it won't shine as brightly as Venus, Saturn will be at its best this month. It will be at opposition on the 8th, rising at sunset and setting at sunrise. It'll be high in the southern sky around midnight, ideally situated for viewing. Look for it in the constellation Leo, moving ever slow slightly westward (retrograde) from night to night.

Saturn's rings are only slightly visible, tilted about 3 degrees as seen from Earth. The planet's disk will seem more prominent as a result.

In early March, Jupiter, Mars and Mercury are huddled together in Capricornus. Unfortunately, they are difficult, if not impossible, to see since they rise just an hour or so before the sun. But you should be able to spot Jupiter by the second week of March, since it's rising a little earlier each day. With a telescope, you might be able to see Mars too, but it will be far easier to see later in the year.

Mercury reaches superior conjunction on the 30th and will reappear in the evening sky in April.

Ceres, the largest asteroid, is also the smallest dwarf planet thus far designated. Although it reached its closest approach to Earth for the year last month, it's still relatively easy to find with the aid of a scope and sky chart. It moves from Leo into Leo Minor at the beginning of March. It'll be very close to the magnitude 4.3 star 54 Leonis during the first few days of the month.

Dwarf planet Makemake makes its closest approach to Earth on March 15. It's nearly twice the diameter of Ceres, but it's 4.8 billion miles away, so forget about seeing it. (Ceres is about 150 million miles away.)