A rare lunar eclipse and the spring constellations will light up the March sky

Stargazers will begin the month with a rare total lunar eclipse and by the end of the month many of the spring constellations will be on full display

Spring is back on March 20 with the equinox, marking the start of longer days, shorter nights and the shifting night sky view.

”The spring equinox or vernal equinox is the astronomical beginning of spring,” said Bart Fried, member of the American Astronomical Society. “That means the sun is crossing the equator in its march northward.”

While February’s planetary parade is over, it’s still a good time to see Jupiter and Venus. Those interested in space will also continue watch as NASA works out the issues on its moon mission, with a possible April launch.

Total lunar eclipse

In the early morning hours of March 3, Earth will be in alignment between the moon and the sun, eclipsing the moon in the Earth’s shadow. At 3:44 a.m. the moon will dim as the edge of the Earth’s shadow begins to cross over it. About an hour later, the moon will turn red or copper. The color change is the result of sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere, where blue and green light is filtered out.

Around 6 a.m., the moon will be fully eclipsed. Less than a half-hour later, the moon will set.

”The moon will be red and near the horizon, very low on the western horizon,” Fried said. “We don't get the whole thing. You won't see the shadow leaving the moon. The eclipse ends below the horizon now.”

Because the moon will be very close to the horizon at the time of totality, the best vantage points will be higher floors, not ground level, with no obstruction in the west. No telescopes or binoculars are necessary.

The next total lunar eclipse won’t happen until June 26, 2029.

The night sky is transitioning to spring constellations

One of the astronomical signs of spring is the constellation Leo, the lion. On the first night of the month, the moon will be in Leo, which will make it easier to find, especially since the heart of the lion is a bright red star, Regulus. Another way to find it is to look toward the east right after sunset. By around midnight, the constellation is at its highest point, right overhead.

“When I think of spring, I think about Leo,” said Jackie Faherty, astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History. “It starts to dominate our sky right now in the spring.”

Other spring constellations will move into the city sky by the end of the month, such as Bootes, the herdsman, with its bright orange star Arcturus, and Cancer, known for its bright star Spica located near the handle of the Big Dipper.

As the spring constellations arrive, New Yorkers will also have their last chances to see the winter star patterns such as Orion the hunter with his glorious belt of three bright stars, which is next to Taurus with its bright red star Aldebaran and the Pleiades star cluster.

Moon Launch Update

There was a chance that NASA’s Artemis II mission could have launched in February. But after several tests last month, the space agency opted to roll the rocket and spacecraft off the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The agency said last week that it discovered an issue with the flow of helium, which is used to pressurize fuel tanks. In Early February, NASA encountered hydrogen fuel leaks.

NASA canceled its March launch window, with the earliest possible launch during the first days of April or the end of the month. The agency is looking at possible launch dates in May and June as well.

The Artemis II mission is the United States' first trip to the moon in more than 50 years. The 10-day trip would orbit the Earth and the moon with a four-person crew, including the first female astronaut to take part in a moon mission. The mission’s purpose is to test the space launch system for the next phase, Artemis III, which will land humans on the moon by 2028. The ultimate goal is to create a permanent lunar space station that could help humans reach Mars. Artemis has already been delayed for more than a year.

”It doesn't mean that it's not going to launch,” Faherty said. “They have to be so careful. There are people going on board.”

With the arrival of warmer weather, there will also be a return to more opportunities for stargazing events. The Amateur Astronomers Association is celebrating the spring equinox with a telescope viewing party in Edgemere on the Rockaway Peninsula as well as a calendar of events this month to experience the universe beyond through a telescope.