The March new moon rises today, making this a great dark night to observe the winter constellations before they leave the night sky.
The new moon will occur on March 10 at 5 a.m. EDT (09 a.m. UTC), according to the US Naval Observatory. two days after the waning moon has a conjunction with Mars and Venus and three days before a conjunction with Jupiter.
A new moon is so called because it marks the beginning of a lunation (a lunar cycle). At that time, the moon is directly between the Earth and the sun, which happens approximately every 29.5 days. The two bodies share the same celestial longitude, a projection of Earth's own longitude lines onto the celestial sphere. This alignment is also called a conjunction; if the moon happens to pass in front of the sun, we'll see a solar eclipse, but that won't happen this time (the next one is scheduled for April 8 and will be visible over much of the United States).
The timing of the moon's phases depends on the moon's position, so the hourly difference between locations on Earth is due to one's time zone.
Related: Full Moon Calendar 2024: When to See the Next Full Moon
TOP TELESCOPE CHOICE:
Looking for a telescope to view the features of the full moon up close? We recommend the Celestron Astro Fi 102 as the top choice in our best telescope for beginners guide. Don't forget a moon filter!
New moons make for great evenings for skygazing. If you want to get up close and personal with the dark night sky, our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are a good place to start.
And whether you want to image the moon or explore the night sky in general, check out our guide to photographing the night sky or photographing the planets, as well as our recommendations for the best cameras for astrophotography and the best lenses for astrophotography.
New moons are often used in lunar calendars; although historically their timing must be estimated because they are not visible. However, it is possible to see the moon a day or two before or after the new phase; the moon appears as a very thin crescent. Ancient astronomers actually used it to determine the first days of the month, and in countries where Islam is an important part of civic life, Islamic scholars still do; the traditional Jewish calendar also calculates months from the new moon, as does the Chinese lunar calendar.
An interesting exercise is to see if you can catch the moon just after the new moon; looking at the sky just after sunset on March 10 or 11; the crescent is thin, but sometimes just visible. (Be careful when observing anything near the sun; using an optical aid is risky because you can accidentally damage your eyes and even cause permanent blindness).
At times when the moon is a thin crescent, the dark part can be seen dimly illuminated. This is called 'earthshine' and is a reflection of light from the Earth on the moon's surface. If you were to stand on the moon, you would see an almost 'full' Earth, shining brightly on the night side of the moon.
On the day of the new moon, to observers at mid-northern latitude, Mars and Venus will still be visible, although close to the horizon in the dawn sky; in New York they take off 6:07 am And 6:27 am respectively, at sunrise 7:15 am
Both will be challenging to spot as Venus, the brighter of the two, will only be about 5 degrees high at 7am. Mars will be above and to the right; it will not be much higher and because it is fainter than Venus it will disappear sooner in the daylight. As you move south, both planets become more visible; As with the conjunctions, getting closer to the equator or being in the Southern Hemisphere means the planets will rise earlier relative to sunrise and rise before dawn.
In addition to Venus and Mars, Jupiter will also be prominent just after sunset on March 10; in New York it will be 36 degrees above the western horizon at 8 p.m., and noticeable as one of the brighter objects on that side of the sky. Jupiter, a planet, can be distinguished from stars because of its more stable light; stars tend to twinkle because they are point sources of light, while planets do not because they have (very small) disks. Mercury will be an 'evening star', but it sets so close to sunset that it is lost in the sun's glare to observers at mid-northern latitude; Saturn is also too close to the Sun to see. Both will appear in the weeks after March 10.
Star signs
Observers in northern latitudes will see winter constellations set earlier than in January and February. At 8:00 PM East (about an hour after sunset), Orion, Taurus, Gemini, and Canis Major are all well above the southern horizon, meaning they are beginning to set in the early morning hours; Orion is the first to be below the horizon at 2am
In the east Leo the lion will rise; at 8 p.m. it is completely above the horizon. If you look to Leo's left, you will come across the Big Dipper; it will be vertical with the "bowl" at the top. Using the two stars at the top of the bowl (called Dubhe and Merak, also called the "pointers") one can find Polaris, the North Star, and directly on the other side of the Big Dipper is the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia. , the legendary queen of Ethiopia who angered Poseidon and was forced to sacrifice her daughter Andromeda. Andromeda is to Cassiopeia's left, and above Andromeda is Perseus, the hero who saved her.
RELATED STORIES:
- Night sky, March 2024: what you can see tonight
- What is the moon phase today? Moon phases 2024
- Full moon March 2024: The Worm moon is eclipsed
It is now late summer in the southern hemisphere. At the latitude of Buenos Aires, one can look northeast at 8 p.m. and see Leo rising, although Leo will be upside down. Turning to the right (south) you will see the fainter constellations of Crater (the Cup) on top of Hydra; the latter is a long serpent of stars running from the horizon to a point above Leo, where a small pentagonal shape of five stars marks the head. Moving further southeast, one sees the bright cluster of four stars that is Crux, the Southern Cross, with the long axis of the cross pointing north and south, or nearly horizontal at that time of night.
Below the cross are Hadar and Rigil Kentaurus, the two brightest stars in the Centaur. Almost directly overhead you will see Canopus, the brightest star in Carina, the keel of the ship Argo; Carina was once part of a single, very large constellation, but more modern astronomers have divided it into three: Carina, Puppis (the Poop Deck), and Vela (the Sail). Facing south, Canopus is about 71 degrees above the horizon, with Vela to the left and Puppis above Carina.
