What’s Up in the Night Sky? March 2022

Fred Barrett | Mar 02, 2022

Spring is coming! As I write this, a blustery, gusty snow squall is blasting outside my windows. But take heart, it will come as long as the Earth keeps orbiting the Sun.

The Earth has a 23.5 axial tilt and it is that tilt that changes how directly the Sun shines on the northern hemisphere as the Earth orbits the Sun (the opposite is true for the southern hemisphere). On one point in its solar orbit, the Earth’s North Pole is pointed away from the Sun (winter) and at the other side, the North Pole is pointed towards the Sun (summer). We have seasons just for that reason. On the equinox, the Earth’s axis is positioned perpendicular to the Sun’s rays. In spring it’s known as the Vernal Equinox and in autumn, the Autumnal Equinox. The spring equinox can arrive on either the 20th or 21st since the Earth’s year isn’t an exact number of days. The official date this year is March 20 at 5:33 am. The northern hemisphere will begin to receive more direct sunlight and start warming up but it will take a bit of time for that to happen. We can still get nasty weather for the next month or 2; I hope my wood supply holds out!

Another date that you ignore at your peril, is Sunday, March 13, 2 am. Daylight savings time officially begins! Turn your clock ahead before bedtime Saturday night (oh the stories I can tell!).

There are no meteor showers this month but you can watch for the cone shape of the Zodiacal light after twilight rising up to the Hyades in the west. Pick a dark viewing site with a clear horizon. Let your eyes become dark adjusted before your search. Try averted vision to pick up its traces.

The constellation Cancer is prominent high in the south this month. The Beehive cluster (M44) can easily be seen by eye at its centre and is spectacular in binoculars. To the east of Cancer is Leo, the Lion, with the bright star Regulus on the constellation’s west side. It’s worth exploring for a few clusters that are just to the west of another bright star Denebola on the eastern extreme of Leo.

Uranus is a binocular object to the west after sunset. Venus is still prominent in the southeast before dawn. Mars is quite close below Venus. Saturn and Mercury are almost touching in the early part of March just before sunrise in the southeast.

About 30 minutes before sunrise on the 28th, Venus, Mars and Saturn are very close just above a crescent Moon. Jupiter is below and to the left about 15 degrees but very close to the horizon.

Monthly Highlights

March 2: New Moon, March 7: The moon is 1 degree south of Uranus at 1 am EST. March 10: First Quarter Moon. The Moon is at apogee – 401,920 Kms. March 18: Full Moon. This full Moon is the Full Maple Syrup Moon. And I can hardly wait to start boiling. I only make a couple of litres but it’s a pyromaniacs delight to do. March 20: Vernal Equinox. Mercury passes 1.3 degrees south of Jupiter at 6 pm. March 23: The Moon is at perigee – 367,600 Kms. March 25: Last Quarter Moon. March 27: The Moon passes 4 degrees south of Mars at 11 pm EDT. March 28: The Moon is just below Venus, Saturn and Mars just before sunrise.

Stay safe and keep looking up! Don’t forget to keep bundling up!

On March 26, Earth Hour takes place between 8:30 and 9:30 pm EDT. Check out www.earthhour.org .

Also have a look at these links for information and upcoming events at the North Frontenac Dark Sky Preserve:

www.northfrontenac.com/en/open-for-business/dark-sky-preserve.aspx#

www.visitfrontenac.ca/en/explore-and-do/dark-sky-preserve.aspx

Useful books, star charts and related items for beginners and through to advanced amateurs can be ordered from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada at www.rasc.ca/publications. A subscription to our very own excellent Canadian astronomy magazine “SkyNews” can be arranged at the RASC website as well.

Let me know what you’re finding in the sky, especially anything unusual. I enjoy the emails and the feedback. If you have any questions or suggestions, you can contact me through this paper or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Clear Skies! Fred