Best Night Sky Events of March 2016 (Stargazing Maps)

See what’s up in the night sky for March 2016, including stargazing events and the moon’s phases, in this Space.com gallery courtesy of Starry Night Software. Shown here: Tuesday, March 1, 6:11 p.m. EST. The Last Quarter Moon rises around 12:45 a.m. and sets around 11 a.m. It is most easily seen just after sunrise in the southern sky. This is the first of two Last Quarter Moons this month.

Tuesday, March 8, 8:54 p.m. EST. The moon is not visible on the date of New Moon because it is too close to the sun, but can be seen low in the east as a narrow crescent a morning or two before, just before sunrise. It is visible low in the west an evening or two after New Moon.

Tuesday, March 15, 1:03 p.m. EDT. The First Quarter Moon rises around noon and sets around 3:15 a.m. It dominates the evening sky.

Wednesday, March 23, 8:01 a.m. EDT. The March Full Moon is known as the Worm Moon, Crow Moon, Sap Moon or Lenten Moon. It rises around sunset and sets around sunrise; this is the only night in the month when the moon is in the sky all night long. The rest of the month, the moon spends at least some time in the daytime sky.

Thursday, March 31, 11:17 a.m. EDT. The Last Quarter Moon rises around 2:15 a.m. and sets around 12:15 p.m. It is most easily seen just after sunrise in the southern sky. This is the second of two Last Quarter Moons this month.

Monday, March 7, 6:00 a.m. EST. Venus and the moon rise around 6 a.m., about 45 minutes before sunrise, less than 3 degrees apart.

Monday, March 7, 7:28–8:58 p.m. EST. Shadows of Io and Europa cross Jupiter simultaneously. Because this is only 10 hours before opposition, the moons almost overlap their shadows.

Tuesday, March 8, 6:00 a.m. EST. Jupiter is exactly opposite the sun in the sky, and is visible all night.

Wednesday, March 9. The path of totality crosses the islands of Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi, and Halmahera in Indonesia, before heading to across the Pacific Ocean. It is seen here from Palembang on Sumatra. Partial phases of the eclipse will be visible in Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Papua-New Guinea, all of Australia except the southeast, Alaska, and Hawaii.

Monday, March 14, 10:22–11:34 p.m. EDT. Shadows of Io and Europa cross Jupiter simultaneously.

Sunday, March 20, 12:30 a.m. EDT. The sun crosses the celestial equator traveling north, marking the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere. Days and nights are of equal length. The sun rises due east and sets due west.

Monday/Tuesday, March 21/22, 12 midnight EDT. There is a close conjunction between the planet Jupiter and the moon right at midnight.

Tuesday, March 22, 12:23–2:31 a.m. EDT. Shadows of Io and Europa cross Jupiter simultaneously.

Wednesday, March 23, 6:47 a.m. HADT. The moon will dip briefly into the Earth’s faint penumbral shadow, best seen from the Pacific Ocean and surrounding territories. Here seen from Honolulu, Hawaii.

Wednesday, March 23, 7:47–8:59 p.m. EDT. Shadows of Io and Ganymede cross Jupiter simultaneously. Europa is in occultation behind Jupiter and won’t reappear from Jupiter’s shadow until 9:46 p.m. EDT. Thus from 6:22 p.m. until 9:46 p.m. Io and Ganymede will be in front of Jupiter and Europa will be behind Jupiter or in its shadow, leaving Callisto as the only moon visible in small telescopes.

Tuesday, March 29, 3:00–4:25 a.m. EDT. Shadows of Io and Europa cross Jupiter simultaneously.

Mercury is well placed low in the morning sky at dawn for the first half of the month. This apparition is more favorable for observers in the Southern Hemisphere because of the angle the ecliptic makes with the horizon.

Venus continues to shine brightly at dawn all month, but is dropping towards the sun.

Mars, March 2016 Mars, in the morning sky, moves from Libra to Scorpius on the 13th. Its disk grows from 9 to 11 arc seconds during the month, as it moves towards opposition on May 22. Observers with good telescopes should be able to see some of the dark markings on Mars’ surface this month.

Jupiter is at opposition on March 8, so is visible all night. There are a number of interesting double shadow crossings by Jupiter’s inner three moons.

Saturn is well placed in Ophiuchus, rising near midnight. Its rings are now spread widely, making it a beautiful sight in a small telescope.

Uranus is too close to the sun to be observed this month.

Neptune is also too close to the sun to be observed all month.