March 2026 – What’s Up!

Week of 30th March

  • Astronomical Twilight ends at 21:35 BST at the start of the week and at 21:48 BST by the end of the week.
  • Venus (-3.9) is the brightest object low in the western evening sky, best seen just after sunset at around 19:35 BST this week. Jupiter (-2.2) transits at around 19:42 BST. There is a good GRS transit starting at 21:00 BST on Monday.
  • With the bright Moon in the eastern evening sky, spend time in the west enjoying Orion as it sinks towards the horizon for this apparition. Highlights are: the Orion Nebula, M42 (+4.0), tight double star Alnitak (+1.7) at just 2.1″ separation, and multiple star system Sigma Orionis (+8.4) with three or four stars visible as a ‘mini-cluster’.
  • The Moon is Full on Thursday – the Pink Moon.
  • The Sun currently has 8 active regions and the sunspot number is 116.
  • There are no visible evening ISS passes this week (click here for full ISS pass details).

Week of 23rd March

  • Astronomical Twilight ends at 20:20 GMT at the start of the week and at 21:32 BST by the end of the week.
  • Don’t forget that the clocks change on Sunday, moving forwards one hour at 01:00 GMT to become 02:00 BST.
  • Jupiter (-2.3) transits at around 19:08 GMT through this week. There is a good GRS transit at 21:48 GMT on Monday.
  • Spot Venus (-3.9) shining brightly in the western evening sky, it sets at around 20:00 GMT, so head out just after sunset to find the ‘evening star’.
  • We are heading in to ‘Galaxy Season’ now with the North Galactic Pole rising higher in our evening sky. This week’s observing challenge is an easy start to the season with Bode’s Nebulae in Ursa Major around the zenith. Start with Bode’s Galaxy, M81 (+6.9), a classic spiral galaxy, and then a short hop to the very close by Cigar Galaxy, M82 (+8.4), a starburst galaxy. Both are around 12 million light years from Earth.
  • The Moon is First Quarter on Wednesday.
  • The Sun currently has 4 active regions and the sunspot number is 48.
  • There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week (click here for full ISS pass details).

Week of 16th March

  • Astronomical Twilight ends at 20:06 GMT at the start of the week and at 20:18 GMT by the end of the week.
  • The March Equinox is at 14:48 GMT on Friday. This marks the first day of spring here in the Northern Hemisphere. It is one of only two days in the year when the Sun will rise due East and set due West. Daylight and night will be of equal length.
  • Jupiter (-2.3) transits at 19:35 GMT as it moves ever west in our night sky; enjoy the planet before the lighter evenings mean it is no longer easily visible. There is a good GRS transit at 21:00 GMT on Monday.
  • This week, during the March New Moon, is the time of year to attempt the Messier Marathon. Start at sunset and move across the sky observing each of the 110 objects in the famous Messier Catalogue. Keep going until dawn and see how many you can find!
  • The Moon is New on Thursday.
  • The Sun currently has 6 active regions and the sunspot number is 85.
  • There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week (click here for full ISS pass details).

Week of 9th March

  • Astronomical Twilight ends at 19:53 GMT at the start of the week and at 20:04 GMT by the end of the week.
  • Jupiter (-2.4) ends its retrograde motion on Wednesday and transits at around 20:00 GMT this week. There is a well timed GRS transit on Monday starting at 20:11 GMT.
  • Venus (-3.9) is low to the western horizon at sunset, which is at around 18:00 GMT this week.
  • We move to the constellation Leo, rising ever higher in the southeast, for this week’s observing challenge. Start with Algieba (+2.2), a fine double star in the Sickle asterism and a relatively easy split of 4.8″ separation. Then to the Leo Triplet around the Lion’s hind legs, a trio of galaxies: M65 (+9.3), M66 (+8.9) and NGC 3628 (+9.5), all around 30 to 40 million light years away.
  • The Moon is Last Quarter on Wednesday.
  • The Sun currently has 5 active regions and the sunspot number is 75.
  • There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week (click here for full ISS pass details).

Week of 2nd March

  • Astronomical Twilight ends at 19:40 GMT at the start of the week and at 19:51 GMT by the end of the week.
  • There is a Total Lunar Eclipse on Tuesday. Unfortunately, it won’t be visible from Marlborough; you need to be in Asia, Australia or North America to see it. This is the last Total Lunar Eclipse until the end of 2028!
  • Venus (-3.9), Mercury (+2.8), Saturn (+1.0) and Neptune (+8.0) are visible, with care, low to the southwestern horizon just after sunset, which is at around 17:49 GMT this week. Uranus (+5.7) is close to the Pleiades in the South, and Jupiter (-2.4) transits at around 20:30 GMT.
  • Bright targets are best under the Full Moon this week, so head to between Perseus and Cassiopeia to find the Double Cluster (+5.3), then head south to find M34 (+5.2); complete the Cluster hunt with M52 (+6.9) between Cassiopeia and Cepheus.
  • The Moon is Full on Tuesday – the Worm Moon.
  • The Sun currently has 3 active regions and the sunspot number is 44.
  • There are no visible evening ISS passes this week (click here for full ISS pass details).

 

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