Poster’s Note: The text for this month’s installment from Dee Sharples, “The Sky In March 2025,” is provided below. Those wishing to listen to the article can click on the audio link below.
The constellation Orion the Hunter is a favorite for sky watchers and makes its usual stunning appearance in the evening sky. Face south and look halfway up from the horizon to observe its splendor. On a clear moonless night, your ability to view Orion’s stars naked eye will determine how dark your skies are at your observing site measured by the dimmest stars visible. Check out this website for an explanation on how to compare what magnitude stars you can see in Orion to charts which measure what magnitude you can actually observe: globeatnight.org.
At the Homepage, click on “Observe: Magnitude Charts”; then “Choose Constellation: Orion”; and “Latitude: 40N”. The example shown here is for Rochester NY on 03/21/2025 at 9:00 p.m. You can choose to report your data by clicking on “Reporting” and typing in your personal observing site information or merely use it for your own knowledge. (Note: The lower the magnitude number given to a star, the brighter it appears to us on Earth. Sirius rated at apparent magnitude -1.46 is brighter than Polaris the North Star at magnitude +1.98)
A total eclipse of the moon occurs this month entering its beginning penumbral stage at 11:56 p.m. on Thursday, March 13th. The southeastern section of the moon gradually darkens as it moves deeper into Earth’s shadow until the moon enters the main shadow at 1:09 a.m. on Friday, the 14th. Soon the moon will take on a subtle dark orange color which you can see in a photograph or through a telescope. That’s because the blue light from the sun coming through our atmosphere is scattered, allowing the red light to continue on to illuminate the moon’s surface. Totality will begin at 2:25 a.m. and end at 3:32 a.m. The final partial phase is over at 4:48 a.m. and by 6:02 a.m. the last penumbral stage ends.
Clocks will be set ahead one hour to Daylight Savings Time at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 9th, and we’ll welcome the first official day of spring with the Vernal equinox at 5:01 a.m. on Thursday, March 20th!
