Shropshire Sky At Night – March

Two days prior we have the first of four supermoons this year, when the Full Moon appears larger and brighter than normal.

This month’s full moon was known by early Native Americans as the Worm Moon because this was the time of year when the ground would begin to soften and the earthworms would reappear. Although awesome, the most impressive supermoon will be in May.

Being our nearest celestial companion, it is so large compared to Earth that from deep space we look like a double planet. Through binoculars or a telescope the surface of the Moon looks awe-inspiring, with its pot-ridden fissures. However it is best to avoid observing a full moon in favour for one when it’s crescent or half lit, when the sideways-on shadows highlight its dramatic relief.

Avoiding any connections with astrology, this time of year the Zodiac rises steeply from the horizon at dusk. Zodiac is the term used to describe the path planets trace across the sky.

Now is the time to try and catch a glimpse of the most elusive of phenomena, the zodiacal light. With a clear sky you may be able to spot a faint pyramid of light in the west just after sunset. It is rarely seen but persevere to be treated so a magical sight. It is caused by light reflecting from the clouds of tiny particles in the inner Solar System left over from old comets and asteroids.

A dazzling early morning Venus will be accompanied by Mars and Saturn this month. Try and get a clear south eastern horizon towards the end of the month and you may be treated to the sight of an old crescent moon trying to ‘photobomb’ the trio.

Mercury and Jupiter are too close to the Sun to be observable, but Mars continues to brighten to magnitude plus 1.1 by the end of the month.

Being part of the constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear), the Plough, an asterism of seven stars, is not a constellation, but usually the first star pattern that people recognise and is always on show in the northern hemisphere.

The two end stars of the ‘bowl’ of the Plough point directly towards the north star, Polaris, which always lies due north. With the image of the horse-drawn plough fading it is often referred to as the saucepan.

Ursa Major has a couple of unusual features. First it contains a double star that you can split with the naked eye. Mizar, the star at the bend in the handle of the saucepan, has a companion, Alcor. Secondly, unlike most constellations, most of the stars in the Plough lie at the same distance and were ‘born’ together. Apart from two stars, Dubhe and Alkaid, they are moving in the same direction meaning that the Plough will gradually change shape over the next few thousand years.

Steve Szwajkun FRAS is a member of Shropshire Astronomical Society