by March’s new moon rises today, making this a perfect dark night to observe the winter constellations before they leave the night sky.
The new moon occurs March 10, at 5:00 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC), according to the US Naval Observatory. two days after the waning moon there is a conjunction with Mars and Venus and three days before in conjunction with Jupiter.
This is called a new moon because it is at the beginning of a moon (lunar cycle). At that point the moon is directly between the Earth and the sun, which occurs approximately every 29.5 days. Both bodies have the same celestial longitude, a projection of the Earth’s own lines of longitude on the celestial sphere. This alignment is also called a conjunction; if the moon happens to pass in front of the sun we see a solar eclipse, but that’s not going to happen this time (the next one is slated for April 8 and will be visible in much of the United States).
The timing of the moon phases depends on the position of the moon, so the time difference between locations on Earth is due to their time zone.
Related: Full moon calendar 2024: When to see the next full moon
TOP TOP PICK:
Looking for a telescope to see the features of the full moon up close? We recommend the Celestron Astro Fi 102 as the top choice in our best beginners telescope guide. Don’t forget a moon filter!
New moons make for wonderful nights in the sky. If you want to take a look at the dark night sky up close, our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start.
And if you want to image the moon or explore the night sky in general, check out our guide on how to photograph the night sky or how to photograph 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; but historically their time must be considered because they are invisible. It is, however, possible to catch the moon a day or two before or after the new phase; the moon appears as a very thin crescent. Ancient astronomers, in fact, used it to determine the first day of the month, and in countries where Islam is an important part of the civil life of Islamic scholars still; The traditional Jewish calendar also counts months from the new moon, as does the Chinese lunar calendar.
An interesting lesson is to see if one can catch the moon just after the new moon; looking at the sky just after sunset on March 10 or March 11; the crescent is thin but sometimes visible. (Be careful when looking at anything close to the sun; using any optical aid is risky as it can accidentally damage one’s eyes and even cause permanent blindness).
At times when the moon is a thin crescent, the dark part can be seen thinly illuminated. This is called “reflection” and is the reflection of light from the Earth onto the lunar surface – if one were to stand on the moon, one would see an almost “full” Earth, shining brightly on the night side of the moon.
On the day of the new moon, Mars and Venus, for mid-northern latitude observers, will still be visible, although they are close to the horizon in the dawn sky; in New York they rise at 6:07 am and 6:27 am respectively, with sunrise at 7:15 am
Seeing both will be challenging, as by 7:00 am Venus, the brighter of the two, will only be about 5 degrees higher. Mars will be above and to the right; it will not be much higher and being smaller than Venus it will be lost in daylight earlier. If you move south both planets will be more visible; As with the conjunctions, being closer to the equator or being in the Southern Hemisphere means that the planets rise earlier compared to sunrise and get higher before dawn.
Besides Venus and Mars, Jupiter will be visible just after sunset on March 10; in New York it will be 36 degrees above the western sky by 8 pm, and appear as one of the brightest objects on that side of the sky. Jupiter, a planet, can be distinguished from the stars by its more constant light; stars tend to blur because they are light sources, but planets do not as they have (very small) disks. mercury will be an “evening star” but sets so close to sunset that it is lost to sunlight for mid-northern latitude observers; Saturn is also too close to the sun to see. Both will emerge in the weeks after March 10.
Constellations
Observers in mid-northern latitudes will see the constellations of the winter sky set earlier than in January and February. By 8:00 Eastern (about an hour after sunset) Orion, Taurus, Gemini, and Canis Major are all well above the southern horizon, which means they begin to set during hours early in the morning; Orion is the first to go below the horizon at 2:00 am
In the east, Leo the lion will be rising; it is completely above the horizon by 8:00 pm Looking to Leo’s left one sees the Big Dipper; it will be perpendicular to the “bowl” at the top. Using the two stars at the top of the bowl (named Dubhe and Merak, also known as the “guide”) it is possible to find Polaris, the Pole Star, and directly on the other side from the Big Dipper the constellation W-shaped Cassiopeia. , the legendary queen of Ethiopia who angered Poseidon and was forced to sacrifice her daughter Andromeda. Andromeda is to the left of Cassiopeia, and above Andromeda is Perseus, the hero who saved her.
RELATED STORIES:
— The night sky, March 2024: What you see tonight
— What is the phase of the moon today? Moon phases 2024
— Full Moon March 2024: Waning Moon of Worms
In the Southern Hemisphere, meanwhile, it is late summer. At the latitude of Buenos Aires, by 8 pm it is possible to look to the northeast, and see Leo rising, although the Lion will be upside down. Turning to the right (south) one will see the fainter constellations Crater (the Cup) on top of the Hydra; the second is a long serpent of stars that extends from the sky to a point above Leo, where a small pentagonal shape of five stars marks the head. Continuing towards the south-east is seen the bright cluster of four stars that is Crux, the Southern Cross, with the long axis of the Cross pointing north-south, or almost horizontal at that time of night.
Below the Cross are Hadar and Rigil Kentaurus, the two brightest stars in the Centaur. Almost directly above it will be Canopus, the brightest star in Carina, the Narrows of the ship Argo; Carina was once part of one very large constellation but more modern astronomers have broken it into three: Carina, Puppis (the Poop Deck) and Vela (the Sail). Due south Canopus will be 71 degrees above the horizon, with Vela to the left and Puppis above Carina.
