Videos: Night sky highlights for March 2020

** Tonight’s Sky: March – Space Telescope Science Institute

In March, the stars of spring lie eastward: Look for the constellations Gemini and Cancer to spot interesting celestial features like star clusters M35 and the Beehive Cluster, and NGC 3923, an oblong elliptical galaxy with an interesting ripple pattern. Keep watching for space-based views of the galaxies.

** The Virtual Planetarium: what to see in the night sky, March 2020 – BBC Sky at Night Magazine

The Sky at Night presenters Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal their astronomy guide to March 2020.

** The Night Sky | March, 2020 – The Astrophotographer Judah

This video lists several upcoming conjunctions. In astronomy a Conjunction is defined (Britannica) as

an apparent meeting or passing of two or more celestial bodies. The Moon is in conjunction with the Sun at the phase of New Moon, when it moves between the Earth and Sun and the side turned toward the Earth is dark. Inferior planets—those with orbits smaller than the Earth’s (namely, Venus and Mercury)—have two kinds of conjunctions with the Sun. An inferior conjunction occurs when the planet passes approximately between Earth and Sun; if it passes exactly between them, moving across the Sun’s face as seen from Earth, it is said to be in transit. A superior conjunction occurs when Earth and the other planet are on opposite sides of the Sun, but all three bodies are again nearly in a straight line. Superior planets, those having orbits larger than the Earth’s, can have only superior conjunctions with the Sun.

** Superb Stargazing *** Let’s Take a Trip to the Brightest Stars *** March 1-5 2020 – nemesis maturity

Let’s take a trip to the stars, constellations, planets and Moon, and discover the amazing wonders of the night sky. Let the Moon guide you to the brightest stars of the night sky over the next several evenings. Happy New Month and Happy Skywatching!

** [ Update March.2.2020: What’s Up: March 2020 Skywatching Tips from NASA

Looking for astronomy highlights for March 2020? This month, early risers enjoy a planetary grouping of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn in the early morning sky. Plus a closer look at Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, and spot a lovely trio at sunset on March 28. Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/whats-up… .