March 2026

Total lunar eclipse

The big event for most people this month will be the total lunar eclipse. It’s on March 3, Universal Time. The moon’s disk goes through the central part of Earth’s shadow for observers in Asia, most of the Indian Ocean, Australia, the Pacific, and most of the Americas. The moon’s setting in the Americas as the eclipse is in progress Tuesday morning in the locally used time zones. Most of the Pacific Ocean, northwestern North America, eastern Australia, and northeastern Asia get to see the whole event—on Tuesday evening in some of those locations. It’ll go from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning in some places, mainly in the Pacific, depending on the time zone. For most of Asia, western Australia, and the Indian Ocean, this is a moonrise eclipse. If you’re confused about the local times, go to the lunar eclipse map page for help. Otherwise, it’s 8:44 Universal Time for the penumbral phase to start, 9:48 for partial, 11:02 for total, and then maximum eclipse at 11:32. The endings of the total, partial, and penumbral phases respectively are 12:01, 13:16, and 14:22.

Equinox

The equinox is on March 20 at 14:47 Universal Time. This is when the sun goes overhead for observers on the equator. This equinox is northward and is called the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere because of the season.

Mira at its brightest

Mira should be at its brightest in early March. The variable star with an 11-month period had reached about magnitude 3.5 in early February. It should be about magnitude 2 at its peak. Then over the next few months, it’ll drop to about magnitude 10. The lower the number, the brighter. Magnitude 2 is fairly bright. Higher than magnitude 6 is too dim for the average human eye to see without a telescope or binoculars.

Mira has been in conjunction with the sun around the time of its brightest periods the last few years. So some astronomers haven’t seen it naked eye in quite some time. The challenge now is it’s still kind of close to the sun. You don’t have a lot of observing time before it sets.

Lunar occultations

The moon passes in front of Regulus twice this month. On the 2^nd, the occultation is visible from eastern Asia and the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The path of visibility stretches southeastward to cover Hawaii and other parts of the central Pacific. The second occultation, on the 29^th, is visible from most of Europe, northeast Africa, the Arabian peninsula, and the southern part of India, plus parts of the Indian Ocean.

The Pleiades are occulted on the 23^rd Universal Time. Visibility is from the Arctic and far northern North America, although viewers farther south in North America and the Atlantic may see the moon pass in front of a few of the Pleiades.

Mercury and Mars

Mercury starts the month as an evening object, then goes into solar conjunction on the 7^th. It should stand to reason, it will be hard to see in the evening this month with it being so close to conjunction already. The conjunction is inferior, meaning the planet is passing between us and the sun. Mercury then joins Mars in the morning sky. The two are close on the 15^th. They will be mainly a southern hemisphere sight, but visibility improves for northern hemisphere sky watchers as the month goes on.

Mars is at perihelion on the 26^th. It’s 1.38 astronomical units or about 207 million kilometers from the sun on that day.

Venus, Saturn, and Neptune

Venus remains an evening object. Thanks to northern hemisphere sunsets getting later, the planet doesn’t seem to be getting higher into the sky, but it is actually getting farther from the sun. Saturn’s nearby, getting harder to see and actually sinking into the sunrise. With a telescope, you might try to spot Neptune close to them around the 7^th. Besides it requiring a telescope, another challenge with Neptune now is looking at it through the atmosphere obliquely. Any object looks dimmer the more atmosphere it must shine through.

Jupiter

Jupiter has made it to the middle of Gemini. As the date approaches the 11^th, the planet goes stationary, as almanacs say. The big planet has been retrograde and begins direct motion on that date.

Uranus

Uranus remains somewhat close to the Pleiades. Most people will need magnification to see it.

Moon phases and other circumstances

The moon is full on the 3^rd, at last quarter on the 11^th, is new on the 19^th, and is at first quarter on the 25^th.

Apogee is on the 10^th at 404,400 kilometers away. Perigee is on the 22^nd at 366,800 kilometers.

The moon goes south over the equator on the 4^th, reaches 28.4° south on the 11^th, crosses northward over the equator on the 18^th, reaches 28.4° north on the 25^th, and is southward over the equator again on the 31^st.

The moon passes by Regulus on the 2^nd, Spica on the 6^th, Antares on the 10^th, Mercury and Mars on the 17^th, Venus on the 20^th, Jupiter on the 26^th, and Regulus again on the 29^th.