These notes are intended to provide a casual skywatcher or someone already into amateur astronomy living on the East Coast of Australia with a short summary of what is happening in the night sky in March 2011. Instructions on how to obtain customised satellite viewing information for your location can be found here. If you find this page of interest, you may wish to follow this website automatically using Twitter and the sites RSS Feed.
Planets this month (March 2011)
Mercury in theory is visible low on the Western horizon in the evening twilight just after the middle of March. Mercury reaches greatest elongation East of the Sun on the 23rd. However, you will need a clear horizon and a pair of binoculars to have a chance of locating it.
Venus will be visible all month above the Eastern horizon in the pre-dawn sky. Also see notes for 27 March.
Mars remains too close to the Sun to be seen until April when it reappears in the morning sky.
Jupiter is visible low above the Western horizon at the end of evening twilight for the first part of March. It is too low above the horizon to be of any use for telescopic observation. However, you can impress your friends with your astronomical knowledge by pointing at the bright star on the horizon and telling them it is Jupiter!
Saturn rises in the early evening and is visible as a pale yellow star to the left of the bright star Spica (the brightest star in the ancient Greek constellation Virgo The Virgin). It is visible for the remainder of the night.
Uranus is not visible this month. Uranus is in conjunction with the Sun on 21 March.
Neptune is in visible in the morning sky in from mid-March.
Individual sky events (March 2011)
All times listed for the AEST time zone (U.T. plus 10 hours). Add one hour to times listed if your state or territory follows daylight savings time.
March 1: Slim crescent Moon located above and to the left of Venus. Look above the Eastern horizon in the predawn sky.
March 2: Slim crescent Moon located below Venus. Look above the Eastern horizon in the predawn sky.
March 5: 6.46 am New Moon
March 6: 6 pm Moon at apogee (furthest from Earth at 406,583 km)
March 7: Very slim crescent Moon located to the right of and slightly below Jupiter. Look above the North Western horizon in the evening twilight sky. You will need a clear North Western horizon and ideally a pair of binoculars to maximise your chance of locating the Moon.
March 9: Mars at perihelion
March 11: Mercury at ascending node
March 13: 9.45 am First Quarter Moon
March 15: Venus at descending node
March 16: Mercury at perihelion
March 17: Jupiter at perihelion
March 17: Jupiter and Mercury close in evening twilight sky. Very difficult as both set quickly after the Sun sets. Binoculars and a clear Western horizon will be required.
March 20: 4.10 am Full Moon
March 20: 5 am Moon at perigee (closest to Earth at 356,575 km).
March 21: Autumn Equinox. The Sun rises due East and sets due West. The Sun crosses the celestial equator at 9 am AEST.
March 21: Moon, Saturn and Spica (the brightest star in the ancient Greek constellation Virgo The Virgin) form a temporary triangle in the pre-dawn morning sky. Saturn is the bright star to the right of the Moon.
March 21: 10 pm Uranus in conjunction with the Sun.
March 26: Mercury at greatest latitude North.
March 26: 10.07 pm Last Quarter Moon
March 27: Neptune and Venus close in the morning pre-dawn sky (look above the Eastern horizon). You will need a large pair of binoculars or a small telescope to view Neptune below Venus. The two objects are located 0.22 degrees (or less than a Moon width) apart
March 31: 3 am Mercury stationary
March 31: Slim crescent Moon located above and to the left of Venus in the morning pre-dawn sky (Eastern horizon).
For Further Information
Planet and Moon Rise/Set Times
Planet and Moon rise/set times for 2011 can be found here on this website.
Customised Astronomy & Satellite Viewing information
Information on how to obtain customised astronomy & satellite viewing information for your location can be found here on this website.
