1 Mar Low in the west at dusk, magnitude -4.2 Venus is 1½ fist-widths to the thin waxing crescent moon’s lower right. Magnitude 1.3 Mars is 2 finger-widths to the right.
3 Mar The moon is at perigee, 369,000 kilometers away.
4 Mar Magnitude 0.85 Aldebaran is ½ finger-width to the moon’s upper left high in the south at dusk. Later this evening the moon passes within 0.2 degrees of Aldebaran.
5 Mar The first-quarter moon is 1 fist-width to Aldebaran’s left this evening. Magnitude 1.6 Elnath is 1 fist-width above the moon, and magnitude 0.24 Capella is another 1 ½ fist-widths beyond Elnath, nearly overhead.
6 Mar At dusk, the moon lies between magnitude 0.5 Betelgeuse, a little more than 1 fist-width to the lower right, and magnitude 1.22 Pollux, nearly 2 fist-widths to the left.
7 Mar High in the east at dusk, Pollux is 1 fist-width to the moon’s upper left, and magnitude 0.46 Procyon is about the same distance below or to the lower right. At superior conjunction, Mercury passes on the opposite side of the sun and will soon be visible in the evening sky.
10 Mar Magnitude 1.4 Rigel is 1½ finger-widths above the nearly full moon at dusk.
12 Mar March’s full moon rises soon after sunset, followed by Jupiter 2 hours later and Spica soon thereafter, 2 finger-widths to the lower right. Daylight saving time begins for most of the United States. Turn your clocks forward one hour.
14 Mar The moon, Jupiter and Spica rise 2 hours after sunset and form a tight triangle, falling within 2 finger-widths.
15 Mar Close together low in the southwest before dawn, Jupiter is 3 finger-widths to the moon’s lower right, and Spica is 2 finger-widths to Jupiter’s lower left.
18 Mar The waning gibbous moon is just above Scorpius low in the south before dawn. The moon is at apogee, 405,000 kilometers away.
19 Mar This morning the moon forms a triangle with Antares, 1 fist-width to the lower right, and Saturn, the same distance to the lower left.
20 Mar Saturn is 1 finger-width to the last-quarter moon’s lower right before dawn. The vernal or spring equinox occurs at 1029 UT as the sun crosses the celestial equator from south to north.
22 Mar Get up an hour or two before sunrise to see the Summer Triangle: Altair is nearly 3 fist-widths to the moon’s upper left, Deneb is 4 fist-widths beyond Altair, and magnitude Vega is 2½ fist-widths to Deneb’s upper right.
29 Mar Shortly after sunset you may catch a glimpse of elusive Mercury less than 1 fist-width to the thin crescent moon’s lower right.
30 Mar Magnitude 1.5 Mars is 3 finger-widths to the moon’s lower right tonight. The moon is at perigee, 364,000 kilometers away.
31 Mar Aldebaran is 2½ finger-widths to the moon’s upper right this evening.
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