Monthly sky – March 2026

Here are some details on the Moon’s phases, close approaches of planets and other astronomical events to look for in March.

March 1: Conjunction – Close approach of Mercury (mag +2.5) and Venus (mag −3.9). Visible in the west just after sunset. Mercury remains very difficult to see, but Venus shines brightly and serves as a guide. Mercury lies to the right of Venus. Slightly higher, the planetary pair—Saturn (mag +1.0) with Neptune (mag +7.8) to its right (visible with binoculars or a small telescope)—follows closely behind. Jupiter (mag +2.43) in Gemini in the southeast and Uranus (mag +5.8, visible with binoculars), still below M45 and nearly at the zenith, complete this planetary display that began in late February.

March 3: Full Moon (100%) at 5:09 p.m. EST.

March 3: Total lunar eclipse. Here is its progression to help you to observe it (EST):

• Penumbral eclipse begins at 3:43 a.m.
• Partial eclipse begins at 4:49 a.m.
• Totality begins at 6:03 a.m.
• Moonset at 6:30 a.m.
• Maximum eclipse (not visible) at 6:33 a.m.
• End of the eclipse (not visible) at 9:29 a.m.

March 7: Mercury passes between Earth and the Sun. This very particular passage in the sky is called an inferior conjunction. It is a normal part of its orbital cycle, occurring approximately every 116 days. It also marks the end of the period when Mercury is visible in the evening. In a few weeks, this small planet will reappear in the morning sky.

March 8: Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT) begins on the night of March 7 to 8—at 2 a.m. EST the clocks move forward to 3 a.m. EDT.

March 8: Conjunction – Close approach of Venus (mag −3.9) and Saturn (mag +1.0). Between March 6 and 9, Venus meets the Saturn–Neptune pair. Just after sunset, the approach will be at its closest. Venus will lie north of Saturn.

March 10: Moon at apogee (60%) at 9:41 a.m. EDT—its farthest point from Earth (404,345 km). Conjunction – Close approach of the Moon and the star Antares (just to the left of the Moon at moonrise, around 2 a.m. EDT).

March 11: Last Quarter Moon (50%) at 5:38 a.m. EDT

March 18: New Moon (0%) at 9:23 p.m. EDT

March 20: Spring equinox at 10:45 a.m. EDT

March 22: Moon at perigee (20%) at 7:31 a.m. EDT—its closest point to Earth (366,884 km).

March 22 and 23: Conjunction – Close approach of the Moon (20% and 30%) and the open star cluster M45 (the Pleiades). Visible from sunset to moonset around midnight. Uranus will also be located near M45, visible with a small telescope.

March 25: First Quarter Moon (50%) at 3:18 p.m. EDT.

March 25: Mercury at its greatest altitude in the morning sky. However, from Montréal, this apparition will not be easy to see, as Mercury will remain low on the horizon.

March 25 and 26: Conjunction – Close approach of the Moon (53% and 64%) and Jupiter (mag +2.2).

March 27: Conjunction – Close approach of the Moon (75%) and the open star cluster M44 (the Beehive). Several stars in the northern part of M44 will be occulted by the Moon for a few hours, from 9:10 p.m. EDT on March 27 to 3:07 a.m. EDT on the morning of March 28.