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Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston
A general interest astronomy club

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March Sky

Wed 1
Mars shines to the right of a waxing crescent moon in the early evening sky. Look west an hour after sunset
Sat 4 A near-first quarter Moon passes less than a degree from Aldebaran tonight as seen from the greater Boston area. Much of the rest of the continental U.S. sees an occultation.
Sun 5
First Quarter Moon at 6:32am EST
Mon 6
Mercury is at superior conjunction
Fri 10
Regulus and a nearly full Moon appear side-by-side tonight 
Sun 12 Full (Worm) Moon at 10:54am EDT
Daylight Saving Time begins. Clocks “spring ahead” an hour
Tue/Wed 14/15 Jupiter, Spica, and a waning gibbous Moon are grouped together in the morning sky. Look SW an hour before sunrise.
Mon 20
Last Quarter Moon at 11:58am EDT
A last quarter Moon pairs up with Saturn this morning. Look S one hour before sunrise.
Vernal Equinox 6:29am EDT
Sat 25 Venus is at inferior conjunction
Mon 27 New Moon at 10:57pm EDT
Wed 29 Mercury can be glimpsed about 10 degrees slightly below and to the right of a thin waxing crescent moon 40 minutes after sunset. Look low in the west.
Thu 30
Mars is to the right of a waxing crescent Moon in the western sky after sunset.


Planets in March

Mercury After disappearing behind the sun (superior conjunction) on the 6th, Mercury reappears in the evening sky around mid-month and is well-placed above the western horizon 45 minutes after sunset by month’s end. A favorable apparition!
Venus Having dominated the evening sky since last summer, Venus rapidly plunges towards the western horizon and reaches inferior conjunction on the 25th. Our Sister Planet just as rapidly reappears in the morning sky by month’s end.
Mars Mars, moving from Pisces into Aries, continues to stay ahead of the setting sun and appears low in the western sky at sunset.
Jupiter Jupiter, near an April 7 conjunction, rises in the early evening hours this month.
Saturn Saturn is a morning planet, visible high in the southern sky in Sagittarius an hour before sunrise.