MARCH 2025 SKIES
BY: DICK COOKMAN
Highlights: Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Planet Plotting & Vernal Equinox, March Moon
Focus Constellations: Ursa Major, Draco, Ursa Minor, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Camelopardalis, Perseus, Lynx, Auriga, Taurus, Orion, Gemini, Cancer, Leo Minor, Leo, Coma Berenices, Bootes, Virgo
Comet Journals
During the Spring and Summer of 2025, comets will be dim, few, and far between. Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) has dimmed to 12th magnitude and is leaving Aquila and the inner solar system.
Comet C/2022 E2 (Atlas) is at 14th magnitude in Andromeda, much dimmer than the M-31 galaxy.
Mars Landers
Spring vacation on Mars? Adrienne Berard for Penn News, University Park PA (SPX) Feb 26, 2025 reported the following in the online Mars Daily in an article entitled: Rover finds evidence of 'vacation-style' beaches on Mars
“Mars may have once been home to sun-soaked, sandy beaches with gentle, lapping waves according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).” Penn State researchers with an international team of scientists used data from China’s Zhurong Mars rover. They identified ancient buried layers of rock indicating the presence of a vast northern ocean. Benjamin Cardenas, assistant professor of geology at Penn State and co-author on the study stated "The new research offers the clearest evidence yet that the planet once contained a significant body of water and a more habitable environment for life…. The discovery indicates that Mars was once a much wetter place than it is today, further supporting the hypothesis of a past ocean that covered a large portion of the northern pole of the planet…” The study also provided new information on the evolution of the Martian environment, suggesting that, billions of years ago, a life-friendly warm and wet period spanned potentially tens of millions of years.
Mars Daily also reports that speculation that hematite is the mineral causing Mars to be red is incorrect. Instead, it is ferrihydrate. The latter requires the presence of abundant water whereas the former requires its absence which suggests that Mars rusted billions of years ago, when liquid water existed on the surface. During the lengthy interval of aridity since then, ferrihydrate endured, coloring Mars red.
Meteor Showers
Like February, March has no significant northern hemisphere meteor showers.
Planet Plottings
For sharp eyed observers who can find Saturn and Neptune buried deep in sunsets’ glow, the early March evening sky, true to its name, features a line of all seven planets “marching” in a parade from high in the southern sky to the western horizon. Mercury (0.9 to 3.2) in Pisces starts the month on the western horizon with Venus (-4.5 to -4.1) slightly higher in Pisces. By mid-month the two disappear into the sunset. The waxing crescent Moon passes Mercury, Neptune, and Venus on the 1st, Uranus on the 4th, and Jupiter on the 6th. The waxing gibbous Moon passes Mars on the 8th, 18 hours after Mercury is at greatest eastern elongation (18°) at 1:00AM EST. Mercury passes Venus at 7:00AM EDT on the 9th. Uranus (+5.8) in Aries and Taurus, Jupiter (-2.4 to -2.2) in Taurus, and Mars (-1.0 to -0.3) in Gemini appear high in the southwest. Saturn (+1.1 to 1.2) in Aquarius and Neptune (8.0) in Pisces move into conjunction with the Sun on the 12th and 19th respectively. They then move into morning skies.
The Spring Sun enters northern hemisphere skies after the Vernal Equinox at 5:01AM EDT on the 20th. Earth has orbited from our December position where the northern hemisphere was tilted away from the Sun and is moving toward the summer position where we are tilted toward the Sun. On the equinox, vertical rays from the Sun fall on the equator. The 3rd quarter Moon is at 7:29AM EDT on the 22nd, over 14 hours before Venus’ arrival at inferior conjunction at 9:00PM EDT. Mercury is at inferior conjunction at 4:00PM EDT on the 24th. The two planets then move to morning skies in late March. The waning crescent Moon passes Saturn and Venus on the 28th, the day before New Moon, and Saturn, with its rings almost edge on, is passed by Venus at 2:00AM EDT on the 30th.
March Moon
The New Moon of March in Pisces on the 29th at 6:58AM EDT produces a partial solar eclipse for observers in New England and Maritime Canada. It marks the start of Lunation 1265 which ends 29.32 days later with the New Moon on April 27 at 2:32PM EDT. The Full Moon on the 14th at 2:55AM EDT on the boundary between Leo and Virgo will be totally eclipsed in America. Virgo is located between the Anishnaabe constellation of Mishi bizhiw (the Great Lynx or Panther, who is also known as Curly Tail), and the Protecting Spirit (Nanaboujou), who includes the constellation Scorpius. Nanaboujou is thought to have helped earth people by creating dry land and is currently protecting them as he shoots an arrow at the fearsome Mishi bizhiw. The March Moon is also known as the Lenten, Sap, Crow, or Worm Moon. Colonial Americans called it the “Fish Moon”. To the Celts it was the “Moon of Winds”, and it is the “Sleepy Moon” for the Chinese. Medieval English thought of it as the “Chaste Moon”, and the Anishinaabe (Odawa and Ojibwe) people recognize it as Ziizbaakdoke-giizis (Sugaring Moon) in the eastern dialect and Onaabani-giizis (Snowcrust Moon) or Aandego-giizis (Crow Moon) in the western dialect. Ontario’s Earth Haven Farm presents cultural teachings of the Mississauga branch of the Anishinabek Nation. They explain the cycle of life and nature of the 13 Grandmother Moons. “The third moon of Creation is Sugar Moon. As the maple sap begins to run, we learn of one of the main medicines given to the Anishnabe which balances our blood, and heals us. During this time, we are encouraged to balance our lives as we would our blood sugar levels, by using Divine Law.”
Lunar perigee - Mar. 1, 4:21PM EST and Mar. 30, 1:25AM EDT. The Moon is at 224,914 mi. (56.75 Earth radii) and 222,530 mi. (56.15 Earth radii). The Moon is at apogee (maximum lunar distance of 252,124 mi., 63.62 Earth radii) on Mar. 17 at 12:37PM EDT.
