March star map

The big show astronomically in March is another total lunar eclipse, more popularly known as a blood moon, the last one we’ll have for a while. It’ll happen this coming Tuesday, March 3, during a full moon, very early in the morning in the predawn hours. The only problem is that shortly after totality begins, the moon will set below the western horizon.

At about 4:50 a.m., you’ll start to see the moon’s upper left limb begin to darken as it heads into the Earth’s umbra shadow. A little after 6 a.m., the moon will be completely eclipsed, and that’s when it’ll take on a blood-red hue, but we’ll have a hard time seeing that because morning twilight will be well underway, and the moon will be so close to the western horizon. The timing is not the best in Butler for this blood moon.

Lunar eclipses occur when the moon, orbiting the Earth, passes through the Earth’s shadow opposite the sun, known as the umbra. An eclipse can only occur during a full moon, when our planet lies between the sun and the moon and casts a shadow on the moon.

An eclipse doesn’t occur every full moon because the moon’s orbit is tilted 5 degrees to the Earth’s orbit around the sun. Most of the time, the full moon misses the Earth’s shadow. It passes either above or below the umbra. But this Tuesday the moon will charge right through the umbra, and we’re in for a bloody treat!

Total lunar eclipses are entirely safe to view, even with telescopes. Let’s hope for clear skies on the morning of March 3, because this will be the last total lunar eclipse we’ll see around here until 2029!

March has a nice advantage for stargazers because overall it’s not as cold, and we can still enjoy the bright winter constellations, although this is the last month that they’re in their prime.

The disadvantage for March stargazing fans is that our night hours continue to shrink as we head toward spring. To add to the fire, daylight saving time begins in many parts of the world on March 8, pushing back sunset times even more, so get out there and make the most of your time under the stars!

The two brightest planets available this month are Jupiter and Venus — although Venus only makes a brief appearance, especially in early March. As the month begins, look for Venus in the western sky a little after sunset during twilight. You can’t miss it, but don’t wait too long to look for it because it sets below the horizon toward the end of twilight.

Jupiter will also put on a really nice show, shining high and bright in the southern sky as evening begins in early March. It’ll be among the bright winter stars and constellations, but it’ll outshine them all! As March continues, Jupiter will move farther and farther to the southwest each evening.

The largest planet in our solar system is a terrific telescope target. You’ll easily see up to four of Jupiter’s largest moons with even a small telescope. They resemble tiny stars on either side of the giant planet. As they orbit the giant planet, on some nights you can’t see all four because one or more may be behind Jupiter or camouflaged in front of it. With a telescope, you should also see at least some of Jupiter’s darkest cloud bands.

The great winter constellations that Jupiter is part of this year totally dominate the south-southwest heavens in the early evenings. Just to the lower right of Jupiter, majestic Orion is the ringmaster of the winter heavens, surrounded by his posse of bright constellations. They include Taurus the Bull, Auriga the Charioteer, Orion’s hunting dogs Canis Major and Minor, and Gemini the Twins, where Jupiter resides this month.

The three bright stars in a row that form Orion’s belt jump out at you. Below his belt are three fainter stars in a row that outline the hunter’s sword. The middle star is the famous Orion Nebula. It appears as a “fuzzy star” to the naked eye and is a superb telescope target, even if you have a small scope. You’re witnessing a giant cloud of excited hydrogen gas with stars forming gravitationally within it.

Meanwhile, in the early evening eastern sky, the first of the major spring constellations, Leo the Lion is on the rise. Look for a distinct backward question mark of stars that outline the chest and head of the mighty beast. At the bottom of the question mark is Regulus, a moderately bright star that marks the heart of Leo.

As March continues, Leo will be higher and higher in the sky at the start of the evening as the stars of Orion and his gang start lower and lower in the west. It appears as if the mighty lion is chasing Orion and his gang out of the night sky. This is due to the Earth’s orbit around the sun. The nighttime side of the Earth is gradually turning away from the direction of space where Orion and company are located and more toward the not-so-vibrant spring constellations.

Enjoy the winter constellations while they are still visible!

Stay tuned because in early April, a comet may put on a good show. It’s formally known as C/2026 A1 (MAPS), or just Comet MAPS. This dirty cosmic snowball is on its way from the outer reaches of the solar system. In early April, shortly after it swings around the sun without disintegrating, it could briefly produce an impressive tail in the early morning sky. Fingers crossed!

Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and professional broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis/St. Paul. He is also the author of “Stars: a Month by Month Tour of the Constellations,” published by Adventure Publications and available at bookstores and at adventurepublications.net. Contact him at mikewlynch@comcast.net.