Carnival is over, but the party in heaven continues all year long! The month of March brings with it a continuum of astronomical spectacles, and although it is a time of heavy rain in much of the country, clear skies will be a gift for lovers of celestial observations everywhere.
The main astronomical event of the moon is actually one of the most common and familiar natural events: the autumnal equinox. Equinoxes (also like solstices) occur twice a year, in March and September, usually on the 20th or 21st.
Astronomically, the equinox is marked by the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator, the terrestrial equator projected into the celestial vault, in its apparent orbit as seen from Earth. Currently, the two hemispheres of the Earth receive approximately the same intensity of solar radiation, marking the beginning of the autumn and spring seasons. This year, autumn will begin in the southern hemisphere on March 20 at 18:24 Brazilian time.
In March, the night sky will also be marked by planetary conjunctions: prominent close encounters in a region of the sky between two or more planets (or between planets and other celestial bodies such as the Moon). We say visible because in reality the planets are hundreds of millions of miles apart, but appear together under the perspective effect of an Earth observation. The Moon’s main conjunctions will occur on March 2 and 28, respectively, between Jupiter and Venus, and between the Moon and Mars.
Celestial map apps such as SkyMap, Celeste Chart, and Stellarium are great allies for guiding celestial observation, both with the naked eye and with the aid of binoculars and telescopes.
Calendar of the main astronomical events for the month March 2023
02/03: Conjunction between Jupiter and Venus
07/03: full moon
03/14: The Month Is In The Last Quarter
03/20: autumn equinox
03/21: New month
03/24: Moon Occultation of Venus
03/28: Moon and Mars Conjunction
03/28: First Quarter Month
Clear skies and good observations!
Source: Tec Mundo
I’m Blaine Morgan, an experienced journalist and writer with over 8 years of experience in the tech industry. My expertise lies in writing about technology news and trends, covering everything from cutting-edge gadgets to emerging software developments. I’ve written for several leading publications including Gadget Onus where I am an author.
