A certified International Dark-Sky Association park tucked away in the southern Appalachian mountains is home to one of the largest public telescopes in the southeast. Featuring the Bare Dark Sky Observatory, the Burnsville, North Carolina, public observatory welcomes visitors.
Here is the observatory’s monthly stargazing guide.
What's in the Sky in March?
March 1st - Conjunction of Moon and Venus
The Moon and Venus will share the same right ascension, with the Moon passing 6°23' to the south of Venus. The pair will become visible at around 6:08pm (EST), 25° above your western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. They will then sink towards the horizon, setting 2 hours and 36 minutes after the Sun at 8:27pm (EST). The pair will be too widely separated to fit within the field of view of a telescope or pair of binoculars, but will be visible to the naked eye.
March 6th - Conjunction of Moon and Jupiter
The Moon and Jupiter will share the same right ascension, with the Moon passing 5°33' to the north of Jupiter. the pair will become visible at around 6:14pm (EST), 70° above your southern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. They will then sink towards the horizon, setting at 1:07am (EST). The pair will be too widely separated to fit within the field of view of a telescope or pair of binoculars, but will be visible to the naked eye.
March 8th - Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation
The planet Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation of 18.2 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the evening sky. Look for the planet low in the western sky just after sunset.
March 12th - Asteroid 8 Flora at Opposition
Asteroid 8 Flora will be well placed, lying in the constellation Leo, well above the horizon for much of the night. Regardless of your location on the Earth, 8 Flora will reach its highest point in the sky around midnight local time.
The Chart above indicates the path of 8 Flora across the sky around the time of opposition.
It will be visible between 8:43pm and 6:07am (EST). It will become accessible when it rises to an altitude of 21° above your eastern horizon. It will reach its highest point in the sky at 1:25am (EST), 61° above your southern horizon.
This optimal positioning occurs when it makes its closest approach to the point in the sky directly opposite to the Sun – an event termed opposition.
Since the Sun reaches its greatest distance below the horizon at midnight, the point opposite to it is highest in the sky at the same time.
March 12th: 8 Flora will be at opposition, meaning it will be visible as soon as it gets dark
March and early April: 8 Flora will pass through the Leo Triplet, a group of three galaxies.
March 14th - Full "Worm Moon"
This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Worm Moon because this was the time of year when the ground would begin to soften and the earthworms would reappear. This moon has also been known as the Crow Moon, the Crust Moon, the Sap Moon, and the Lenten Moon.
March 13th-14th - Total Lunar Eclipse
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes completely through the Earth's dark shadow, or umbra. During this type of eclipse, the Moon will gradually get darker and then take on a rusty or blood red color. The eclipse will be visible throughout all of North America, Mexico, Central America, and South America.
The Moon will pass into Earth’s shadow and appear to turn red on the night of March 13 or early in the morning on March 14, depending on time zone.
What can I expect to observe?
Penumbral eclipse begins (8:57pm PDT, 11:57pm EDT, 03:57 UTC)
The Moon enters the Earth’s penumbra, the outer part of the shadow. The Moon begins to dim, but the effect is quite subtle.
Partial eclipse begins (10:09pm PDT, 1:09am EDT, 05:09 UTC)
The Moon begins to enter Earth’s umbra and the partial eclipse begins. To the naked eye, as the Moon moves into the umbra, it looks like a bite is being taken out of the lunar disk. The part of the Moon inside the umbra appears very dark.
Totality begins (11:26pm PDT, 2:26am EDT, 06:26 UTC)
The entire Moon is now in the Earth’s umbra. The Moon is tinted a coppery red. Try binoculars or a telescope for a better view. If you want to take a photo, use a camera on a tripod with exposures of at least several seconds.
Totality ends (12:31am PDT, 3:31am EDT, 07:31 UTC)
As the Moon exits Earth’s umbra, the red color fades. It looks as if a bite is being taken out of the opposite side of the lunar disk from before.
Partial eclipse ends (1:47am PDT, 4:47am EDT, 08:47 UTC)
The whole Moon is in Earth’s penumbra, but again, the dimming is subtle.
Penumbral eclipse ends (3:00am PDT, 6:00am EDT, 10:00 UTC)
The eclipse is over.
March 20th - March Equinox. The March equinox occurs at 8:58 am (EST). The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world.
This is also the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the Southern Hemisphere.There are two equinoxes every year: one in March and one in September. In March, the Sun crosses the equator from south to north.
https://www.mayland.edu/foundation/foundation-projects/earth-to-sky-park/