Share the joy of outer space in March with Lucy Hambly

As the weather slowly begins to warm up once again, the night sky will remain as active as ever. From two eclipses to the first day of spring, here are some of March’s most anticipated astronomical phenomena and rocket launches.

On March 12, the SpaceX Crew-10 mission will be launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida. This will be the seventeenth crewed orbital flight in a Dragon spacecraft and will transport four crew members to the International Space Station. The members selected for this particular mission include Commander Anne McClain, a U.S. Army engineer who has spent over 203 days in space already during previous missions; Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi, a Japanese astronaut with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Aeronautical and Space Engineering; Pilot Nichole Ayers, a United States Air Force major with a Master’s Degree in Computational and Applied Mathematics from Rice University; and Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov, a Russian cosmonaut with no prior spaceflight experience. The Crew-10 mission has a planned duration of 150 days. While on the International Space Station, the crew will participate in various spacewalks, carry out research in the station laboratory, and conduct experiments to the benefit of human life in space and on Earth. 

The full moon of March, or the Worm Moon, will reach its peak visibility on March 14 at 2:55 AM (Eastern Time). Named for the earthworms and other larvae that begin to reappear during the month after a long winter, this moon has also been referred to as the Sugar Moon, the Sore Eyes Moon, and the Wind Strong Moon. 

However, the March full moon will be a little different this year. A total lunar eclipse, also known as a Blood Moon, will also be taking place on March 14. This means that the moon of March will technically be considered the “Blood Worm Moon. Lunar eclipses occur when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow and becomes darkened. They often last for multiple hours, which is quite a while compared to total solar eclipses, which can only remain active for up to two minutes. During this specific lunar eclipse, there will be a period of about 65 minutes where the moon adopts a reddish tint (the origin of the term “Blood Moon”). The eclipse will be visible over a period of six hours (11:57 PM to 6:00 AM), but totality– often considered to be the most exciting part of any eclipse– will be between 2:26 AM and 3:31 AM. Total lunar eclipses are not extremely rare, usually taking place every two and a half years, but the March 14 eclipse will certainly still be a sight worth seeing.

(The shadow of the Earth causes the Moon to appear red during total lunar eclipses, giving it the nickname of the “Blood Moon.” Image Credit: NASA)

The March equinox (also known as the vernal equinox) will take place on March 20. This day marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere for astronomers, with the term being named for the fact that night and day are equal in length on that day. However, meteorologists have a slightly different definition of spring, stating that it begins on March 1 anywhere north of the equator. The March equinox occurs on March 19, March 20, or March 21 annually, though March 21 equinoxes have traditionally been the most rare. The last March 21 equinox was observed in 2007, with the next not happening until 2101. The equinox is celebrated in many different ways around the world, with many cultures seeing it as a day of rebirth and choosing to treat it like the first day of a new year. 

Finally, a partial solar eclipse will occur on March 29. The eclipse will be available all across the world in regions including Europe, the majority of North America, and the northern parts of areas including South America, Asia, and Africa. The eclipse will first begin to become visible at 4:50 AM and end at 8:43 AM, reaching its maximum visibility at 6:47 AM. Partial solar eclipses take place when the Sun, Moon, and Earth do not line up at the proper angle, causing the shadow from the Moon to be only partially cast on our planet. This causes the Sun to appear like it has a small piece missing from it. Solar eclipses are always found within two weeks of a lunar eclipse, with this one following the total lunar eclipse of March 14 as described above. The next total lunar eclipse that will be followed by a partial solar eclipse will not be until September 7 and September 21, 2025.

Whether you choose to try your hand at observing the total lunar eclipse or partial solar eclipse in the early hours of the morning or would rather watch the launch of the SpaceX Crew-10 mission on March 12, this is sure to be a very exciting month for all astronomy lovers. Good luck, and happy observing!