Notable celestial events of March 2016: Jupiter at opposition, solar eclipse, spring equinox, lunar eclipse

2

This astronomy calendar of celestial events contains dates for notable celestial events.

In March 2016, you (hopefully) will be able to follow a total solar eclipse, a penumbral lunar eclipse and Jupiter at opposition among others. Enjoy.

March 8 – Jupiter at Opposition.

Jupiter at Opposition, Jupiter at Opposition march 2016, Jupiter at Opposition march 2016 picture, celestial events march 2016
Jupiter at opposition taken by Efrain Morales on October 30, 2011 in Victoria, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico

The giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view and photograph Jupiter and its moons.

March 9 – New Moon.

New Moon march 2016, New Moon march 9 2016, when new moon march 2016
Fullmoonphases.com

The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 01:54 UTC.

March 9 – Total Solar Eclipse.

total solar eclipse march 9 2016, total solar eclipse march 9 2016 gif, total solar eclipse march 9 2016 news, total solar eclipse march 9 2016 video, total solar eclipse march 9 2016 time and date, when is total solar eclipse march 9 2016, best place to watch total solar eclipse march 9 2016, total solar eclipse march 9 2016 gif
NASA

A total solar eclipse will occur on March 9 2016. The path of totality will only be visible in parts of central Indonesia and the Pacific Ocean.

total solar eclipse march 9 2016, total solar eclipse march 9 2016 gif, total solar eclipse march 9 2016 news, total solar eclipse march 9 2016 video, total solar eclipse march 9 2016 time and date, when is total solar eclipse march 9 2016, best place to watch total solar eclipse march 9 2016, total solar eclipse march 9 2016 gif
Solar eclipse path on March 9, 2016 by Time and date

A partial eclipse will be visible in most parts of northern Australia and southeast Asia.

March 20 – March Equinox.

spring equinox, spring equinox march 20 2016, when is spring equinox, spring equinox march 20 2016, march 20 2016 equinox, equinox march 20 2016
Chichen Itza pyramid during the spring equinox. Wikipedia

The March equinox occurs at 04:30 UTC. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the Southern Hemisphere.

March 23 – Full Moon.

full worm moon, march full moon, full moon march 23 2016, when is full moon in march 2016, march 23 2016 fullmoon, full moon march 2016, full worm moon march 2016
Isitedesign Flickr

The Worm Moon will be full at 12:02 UTC. This Full Moon has also been known as the Full Crow Moon, the Full Crust Moon, the Full Sap Moon, and the Lenten Moon.

March 23 – Penumbral Lunar Eclipse.

Lunar Eclipse march 23 2016, Penumbral Lunar Eclipse march 23 2016, Path of the penumbral lunar eclipse on March 23 2016, partial Lunar Eclipse march 23 2016, Lunar Eclipse march 2016
Path of the penumbral lunar eclipse on March 23 2016.

During this type of partial eclipse the Moon will darken slightly but not completely. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of extreme eastern Asia, eastern Australia, the Pacific Ocean, and the west coast of North America including Alaska.

So, just watch the sky on these dates and if you are lucky and situated accordingly, you will have something awesome to experience.

Follow us: Facebook and Twitter

2 Comments

Leave a reply

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.