Sky Watch, March
March 1, 2025
by Peter Lutken
In February, temperatures ranged from 12 to 82 degrees!! Quite an up and down as the seasons change. The days are almost 12 hours long now and will be by March 20, the Equinox. Spring is just about here!
Evening Skies: Venus is setting much earlier now. On March 20, it will catch and pass the sun and soon begin to show up as a Morning Star for April! Jupiter is putting on a spectacular show in the west just after sunset! Go out any clear evening and check it out. Mars and the winter stars, Orion and company, follow along through the evening. They are high overhead but set earlier every day. The spring stars, led by Leo, are climbing in the east.
Full Moon: March 13-14. There will be a total Lunar Eclipse around 1:00 a.m. on March 14.
Morning Skies: Venus will begin to rise before the sun late in the month. The Summer Triangle is up in the east before dawn, and The Big Dipper is right overhead. Follow the arc of the dipper handle to the bright star Arcturus, "The Bear Hunter."
Quarry/Outdoors: Great bird watching right now: Hawks and Ducks of all kinds, Wrens, Cardinals, Woodpeckers....birds are starting to move as spring arrives.
Redbuds are starting to bloom, and Daffodils are everywhere! Many of us remember Wordsworth's poem "Daffodils" from school. Check it out; it's perfect for this time of year!
PKL
