Shropshire Sky At Night – March
Predictably Mars has taken front of stage, with the NASA probe touching down in Jezo Crater on the red dusty planet, its main mission being to seek out signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rocks and soil), to be collected by possible future missions.
The first in a parade of three new visitors to Mars commenced when a robotic probe, named Hope, from the United Arab Emirates began orbiting the red planet, where it will begin a two-year study of the atmosphere and weather. One day later a Chinese spacecraft, Tianwen-1, also entered orbit, its mission is to explore a large impact basin called Utopia Planitia.
The red planet is on full show in the evenings throughout March, visible among the stars of Taurus where it passes just south of the Pleiades open cluster, during the first part of the month.
Minor planet Venus passing through superior conjunction is on the far side of the Sun, so is not visible. However, Mercury might offer a poor morning offering. Look for the planet low in the east just before sunrise.
Jupiter is also emerging into the pre-dawn sky by the end of the month, but you will need a clear flat eastern horizon to catch a glimpse of the king of the planets. You might stand a better chance of spotting nearby Saturn although its relative brightness may be challenging.
Confusingly meteorologists claim spring starts on March 1, however seasoned astronomers will patiently wait for March 20 when the Sun will shine directly on the equator, producing nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. Referred to as the vernal equinox it is the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
Throughout the month, the most widely recognised constellation is mighty Orion, standing upright in the south west. People who appreciate the outdoors and the night sky may know this prominent constellation, which is rich with deep-sky splendours. If you can brave the cold, you will be rewarded by some of the finest sights the winter sky has to offer.
His right shoulder is marked by the red star of Betelgeuse, and his left foot is signified by the white star of Rigel, with the fainter stars, Bellatrix and Saiph, marking out the opposite shoulder and foot.
You do not need a telescope to see the mighty hunter’s belt and sword. The three stars of Orion’s belt, Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka, are easy to spot, but the real prize for naked-eye starwatchers is located below this trio of stars.
Orion’s sword consists of a further three stars, considerably fainter than the belt. Find the darkest site you can and allow your eyes to get accustomed to the dark. The second star in the sword should appear fuzzy to you, and pinkish. That is because it is not a star at all – it’s the Orion nebula, a star-forming cloud 1,300 light years away, and a prime target for astro-photographers both professional and amateur.
Steve Szwajkun is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society
