The Planets:
Mercury:  Elusive Mercury peeks over the eastern horizon for a short time before sunrise during the first week of March.  After that, Mercury will be difficult, and later impossible, to see.  Mercury arrives at superior conjunction (on the opposite side of the sun from earth) on
March 21.

Venus:  Look for this brilliant orb in the predawn hours in the eastern sky shining at a magnitude of -4.00.  At the beginning of March, Venus is on the eastern edge of Sagittarius, moving through Capricorn into Aquarius by the end of the month.  Venus is on its way to superior conjunction, so it will be less visible during the month as its elongation from the sun diminishes.

Mars:  Our neighboring planet can be found in the predawn hours in the constellation Sagittarius in the eastern sky, above the spout on the "teapot".  From March to August, look for increasing brightness and viewing size as the planet makes its closest approach to earth in the last 600 centuries on August 27!

Jupiter:  Found in Cancer the Crab, this jewel of the evening sky can be seen in the eastern sky at sunset, shining at -2.35.  You can watch Jupiter for most of the night.  It will be particularly spectacular on March 31, when it will be within 1 degree of the Beehive Cluster described below!  On March 15, watch an almost full moon slightly above Jupiter in the west in the predawn hours.

Saturn:  As the sun sets, Saturn is found overhead in the constellation of Taurus the Bull.  Look for the V-shaped face, letting your eyes follow along the horns.  Saturn is nestled between them, above Orion's head.  Saturn sets in the wee hours of the morning.  On March 10, watch a 48%-illuminated, first-quarter moon come within 3 degrees of this ringed planet.

SPRING IS HERE!
Because of the tilt of the earth and its orbital position, the Sun will cross the celestial equator on the evening of March 20 at 7:00 PM CST.  This event is called the "vernal equinox" or "spring equinox". At this particular moment, the sun lies directly above earth's equator.  ("Equinox" means equal hours of daylight and darkness.)

The Incredible Beehive!

Seeing star cluster M44 high in the sky at sunset reminds us that warmer days are nearing.  Located in Cancer the Crab, about halfway between Leo the Lion and Gemini the Twins, the Beehive Cluster looks like a fuzzy patch the size of our moon.  The light you see took about 575 years to get to your eyes.  With steadily-held binoculars, you can see dozens of stars … which is why they call it a "Beehive"! 

Constellations:  Cancer, Canis Minor, Carina, Lynx, Puppis, Pyxis, Vela, Volans

Looking for a Little More?  If this Skyline whets your appetite, try this website:  skymaps.com/downloads.html.  It offers a two page pdf brochure that you can print out for free.  It has a basic skymap and short lists of visual, binocular, and small telescope objects.  It is really good--check it out!