In this month's easy-to-download podcast, find out how you can glimpse Venus in both the evening and predawn skies.

March is a month of transition. First, clocks around the world will change to summer time (or come off it), a biannual time-shifting that occurs on March 12th in the U.S. and Canada. Then there's the equinox, the astronomical beginning of northern spring, on March 20th at 6:29 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Mercury and Venus in March 2017
Venus plunges toward the western horizon throughout March, even as Mercury rises into view by month's end.
Sky & Telescope diagram

Big changes are also in store for Venus, which drops rapidly in the evening sky, passes well to the side of the Sun during inferior conjunction on March 25th, and then re-emerges above the eastern horizon before dawn. It's even possible to glimpse Venus one evening just after sunset and then see it the next morning before sunrise. Our podcast explains how.

Meanwhile, the planet Mercury rises up in the west after sunset, making its best evening showing of the year. And Jupiter is lurking low in the east in late evening, getting ready to dominate our spring and summer skies.

Learn how to spot all of these celestial treats — along with late winter's brightest stars, a winter triangle, and even a winter hexagon — when you listen to or download our monthly astronomy podcast below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Email | RSS | More

Comments


Image of Jean Loup

Jean Loup

March 5, 2017 at 11:08 am

That stupid time of the year AGAiN, were clocks try to make our Sun wrong...

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Image of Sandy

Sandy

March 18, 2017 at 10:37 am

I agree about the time change.... As a matter of fact, EVERYONE I've ever spoken with on this subject agrees that it's stupid and "saves NO daylight" nor does it have ANY redeeming points. So WHY do we still do this AND why has no one proposed to abolish it by now??!!?? The "farmers need more day light and the children going to school in darkness" are weak excuses. Farmers are doing their thing well be for and after sun up and sunset ( no matter the time of day...) and if they schooled children like I was- 9 am to 3 pm...the sun is ALWAYS up at those times....! Only on North American continent and the UK....BTW not the rest of the world!

You must be logged in to post a comment.

You must be logged in to post a comment.