If you’ve looked up at all this year, you’ll know that we’ve been treated to some fairly dazzling sights in our night sky. January and February gave us a green comet, an asteroid and a meteor shower, and already this month we’ve been visited by the Northern Lights and witnessed a celestial meeting between Jupiter and Venus.
The rest of March promises a few more magical astronomical events worth looking out for. Whether you have none of the gear and no idea, or are a seasoned stargazing pro, here’s what you need to know.
What can you see in the night sky this month?
All month
If you have access to some decent binoculars or a telescope then you might be able to see the double cluster in Perseus. These are thousands (maybe even millions) of stars gravitationally bound together to form a spherical shape with a bright, dense core.
If you’re lucky enough to live in an area with minimal light pollution, you may be able to see the clusters with the naked eye as a faint smudge of light.
The Royal Observatory Greenwich also describes a ‘triangle of red’ that can be seen throughout the month. This is a trio made up of Mars and two of the brightest stars, Aldebaran and Betelguese, which all have a noticeable reddish tint.
It is the last chance to see Orion the Hunter before the constellation becomes too low in the sky to be spotted. It will reappear again in November. Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, will also be going into hibernation for a while after this month.
Tuesday March 7
The full moon known as the ‘worm moon’ will be at its brightest around 12.40pm.
Friday March 10
Last chance to see Venus and Jupiter shining in the same part of the sky.
Monday March 15
The monthly third quarter moon will be visible, which is when half of the moon is illuminated. The best view will be at 2.04am.
Tuesday March 21
Saturday March 25- Thursday March 30
Monday March 29
At 3.30am, you’ll be able to catch the half moon at its most dazzling. This one is known as the first quarter and the opposite side to the third quarter will be visible.
Stay in the loop: sign up to Out There, our free newsletter about all the best stuff to do across the UK.