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Venus visible morning and evening

The moon begins the month as a very thin sliver, just past new phase. There are several close encounters this month.
James Edgar

The moon begins the month as a very thin sliver, just past new phase. There are several close encounters this month. A “conjunction” means the two bodies are on the same right ascension (RA), whereas a “quasi-conjunction” means they are close together, but not in the same RA.

For example, Mars is for degrees west of the moon March 1, but not in conjunction. Ceres is within one degree March 2, most definitely a conjunction, because the moon occults the minor planet for viewers in the Southern Hemisphere.

An occultation occurs for many viewers in the Northern Hemisphere and parts of the Pacific Ocean between the moon and Aldebaran March 4. This presents a great opportunity to watch the Solar System in action, as the moon slowly covers the star, which then reappears some time later (the moon moves its own width in about an hour). March 10, Regulus is occulted for observers in the extreme South Pacific; for us, a close call. The moon is full March 12. Jupiter is two degrees away from the moon March 14; Saturn is three degrees away March 20; and Neptune is occulted in the South Atlantic March 26.

Mercury passes behind the sun early in the month, but emerges in mid-month in the western evening sky to become the best apparition of the year for northern viewers.

Venus does a marvellous retrograde motion in mid-month – a process that baffled early astronomers. How could the planet move backwards? The key was understanding that the Earth moves, to. Venus only “appears” to move backwards. Over a few days bracketing March 14, the bright planet can be seen in both the evening and the morning skies.

Mars is in the constellation Pisces, moving into Aries March 8. A nice pairing with the moon occurs March 1.

Jupiter, rising late in the evening, is retrograding in Virgo, and meeting up with the moon March 13 and 14.

Saturn is low in the eastern early morning sky, just before sunrise. The moon brushes by March 20.

Uranus and Neptune are too close to the sun to be seen by northern viewers.

Daylight Saving Time begins on March 12.

The Zodiacal Light can be seen in the western evening sky for the latter half of March.

Spring equinox is  March 20.

— James Edgar has had an interest in the night sky all his life. He joined the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 2000 and is now the society’s past-president, editor of the Observer’s Handbook and production manager of the bi-monthly RASC Journal. The IAU named asteroid 1995 XC5 “(22421) Jamesedgar” in his honour.