Night sky, March 2025: What you can see tonight [maps]

The night sky tonight and on any clear night offers an ever-changing display of fascinating objects you can see, from stars and constellations to bright planets, the moon, and sometimes special events like meteor showers.

Observing the night sky can be done with no special equipment, although a sky map can be very useful, and a good telescope or binoculars will enhance some experiences and bring some otherwise invisible objects into view. You can also use astronomy accessories to make your observing easier, and use our Satellite Tracker page powered by N2YO.comto find out when and how to see the International Space Station and other satellites. We also have a helpful guide on how you can see and track a Starlink satellite train.

You can also capture the night sky by using any of the best cameras for astrophotography, along with a selection of the best lenses for astrophotography.

Read on to find out what's up in the night sky tonight (planets visible now, moon phases, observing highlights this month) plus other resources (skywatching terms, night sky observing tips and further reading)

Related: The brightest planets in March's night sky: How to see them (and when)

Monthly skywatching information is provided to Space.com by Chris Vaughan of Starry Night Education, the leader in space science curriculum solutions. Follow Starry Night on Twitter @StarryNightEdu and Chris at @Astrogeoguy

Editor's note: If you have an amazing skywatching photo and would like to share them with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

Calendar of observing highlights

Saturday, March 1 - Earthshine moon with Mercury and Venus (after sunset)

The western sky after sunset on Saturday, March 1, will provide us with a spectacular sight and a lovely photo opportunity. The sliver of a crescent moon will shine below Venus and above Mercury. Venus and the moon will linger for about an hour longer after Mercury sinks below the rooftops around 6:30 p.m. local time. Keep an eye out for Earthshine on the moon. Sometimes called the Ashen Glow or the Old Moon in the New Moon's Arms, the phenomenon is visible within a day or two of new moon, when sunlight reflected off Earth and back toward the moon slightly brightens the unlit portion of the moon's Earth-facing hemisphere. A backyard telescope will reveal that Venus also has a crescent phase, while Mercury will show a gibbous shape.

Monday, March 3 - Mare Crisium (evening)

On Monday evening, March 3, the pretty crescent of the young moon will host the dark oval of Mare Crisium. This 345-mile (556-kilometer) diameter basin is easy to see using your unaided eyes, binoculars, and any telescope. It is located near the eastern edge of the moon, just north of the moon's equator (the up-down red curve). The wobble of the moon, known as lunar libration, shifts Mare Crisium higher and lower, and closer and farther from the moon's edge at various times

Wednesday, March 5 - Half-Moon with Jupiter and the Pleiades (evening)

On Wednesday evening, March 5, after dusk, the nearly half-illuminated moon will shine to the lower right (or celestial northwest) of the brilliant planet Jupiter. The bright little Pleiades Star Cluster, which is best viewed in binoculars (orange circle), will be positioned about a palm's width below the moon. Those viewing the trio later, or in more westerly time zones, will see the moon shifted closer to Jupiter and farther from the cluster. Look early, as they will set in the west around midnight local time.

Thursday, March 6 - First Quarter Moon meets Elnath

The moon will complete the first quarter of its orbit around Earth, measuring from the previous new moon, on Thursday, March 6, at 11:32 a.m. EST or 8:32 a.m. PST or 16:32 GMT. At first quarter, the 90-degree angle formed by the Earth, sun, and moon will cause us to see our natural satellite as a half-moon with its eastern hemisphere illuminated. At this part of the lunar cycle, the moon always rises around noon and sets around midnight, allowing it to be seen in the afternoon daytime sky, too. The evenings surrounding first quarter are the best ones for viewing the lunar terrain when it is dramatically lit by low-angled sunlight. After dusk on Thursday evening, the bright star Elnath, which marks the northern horn tip of Taurus, the Bull, will shine just to the moon's upper left.

Saturday, March 8 - Mercury at greatest eastern elongation near Venus (after sunset)

After sunset on the evenings surrounding Saturday, March 8, Mercury (orbit shown in red) stretches to its widest separation of 18.1 degrees east of the sun and also its maximum visibility for its current apparition. With Mercury positioned in the western sky above the nearly upright evening ecliptic (green line), this appearance of the planet will be an excellent one for Northern Hemisphere observers but a poor showing for observers located in the Southern Hemisphere. The optimal viewing times at mid-northern latitudes will be around 6:30 p.m. local time. Viewed in a telescope (inset), the planet will exhibit a waning, half-illuminated phase. Much brighter Venus, itself showing a slim crescent phase, will be positioned a generous palm's width to Mercury's upper right (or 7 degrees to the celestial north).

Saturday, March 8 - Moon joins Mars in Gemini (all night)

Once the sky darkens on Saturday evening, March 8, bright reddish Mars and Gemini's two brightest stars, Castor and Pollux, will appear around the bright gibbous moon. Mars and the moon will be close enough together to share the view in a backyard telescope or binoculars (orange circle). The "twin" stars will shine off to their left (or celestial northeast). As the night wears on, the moon's eastward orbital motion will carry it between Mars and Pollux, and the diurnal rotation of the sky will rotate the twins above the moon and Mars.

Sunday, March 9 - Daylight Saving Time Begins

For jurisdictions that adopt Daylight Saving Time (DST), clocks should be set forward by one hour at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, March 9. For stargazers, the time change and the fact that sunsets occur 1 minute later each day near the March equinox will mean that dark-sky observing cannot commence until much later in the evening — possibly after the bedtime of junior astronomers. The difference from local time to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and the astronomers' Universal Time (UT) decreases by one hour when DST is in effect. Daylight Saving Time will end on November 2, 2025.

Tuesday, March 11 - Bright moon near Regulus (all night)

Once the sky begins to darken on Tuesday, March 11, the bright, white star Regulus, which marks the heart of Leo, the Lion, will appear several finger widths below the bright, waxing gibbous moon — close enough for them to share the view in binoculars (orange circle). Early risers on Wednesday morning can look above the western horizon to see the moon shining much closer to the star. Also designated Alpha Leonis, Regulus' position less than one degree north of the ecliptic (green line) causes it to be occasionally occulted by the moon and planets. The white, B-class star is located 79 light-years away from our sun.

Wednesday, March 12 - Venus dances with Mercury (after sunset)

In the western sky, after sunset on the evenings surrounding Wednesday, March 12, the inner planets Mercury and Venus will dance with one another. Both planets will be swinging sunward in their orbits and dropping lower night over night. Mercury and much brighter Venus to its right will be cozy enough to share the view in binoculars (orange circle) from March 8 onward. At closest approach on Wednesday, they will be 5.5 degrees apart. Good binoculars or a backyard telescope will show that Venus has a very slim, 5%-illuminated crescent phase (inset), while Mercury will be smaller and 26%-illuminated.

Friday, March 14 - Full Crow Moon and Total Lunar Eclipse

The moon will reach its full phase on Friday, March 14, at 2:55 a.m. EDT or 06:55 GMT, which converts to 11:55 p.m. PDT on Thursday, March 13. To a casual glance, the moon will appear full on both Thursday and Friday night. The March full moon, known as the Worm Moon, Crow Moon, Sap Moon or Lenten Moon, always shines in or near the stars of Leo or Virgo. The indigenous Ojibwe people of the Great Lakes region call this full moon Ziissbaakdoke-giizis "Sugar Moon" or Onaabani-giizis, the "Hard Crust on the Snow Moon". For them, it signifies a time to balance their lives and to celebrate the new year. The Cree of North America call it Mikisiwipisim, the "the Eagle Moon" - the month when the eagle returns. The Cherokee call it Anvyi, the "Windy Moon", when the planting cycle begins anew.

This full moon will pass directly through the Earth's umbral shadow, producing a total lunar eclipse visible across the Americas and a partial eclipse in the Pacific and western Europe and Africa. The lower left (southwestern) rim of the full moon will start its trip through the weaker penumbral shadow at 11:57 p.m. EDT on Thursday (03:57 GMT), very slightly darkening it. The first "bite" out of the moon will appear when it contacts the central umbra at 1:09 a.m. EDT (05:09 GMT). It will be fully darkened into a reddened, so-called "Blood Moon" from 2:26 to 3:32 a.m. EDT (06:26 to 07:32 GMT). The moon will finally move clear of the Earth's umbral shadow at the final "bite" time of 4:48 a.m. EDT (8:48 GMT) on Friday morning. Lunar eclipses are completely safe to view and photograph without filters. This lunar eclipse will be followed two weeks later by a partial solar eclipse on March 29.

Saturday, March 15 - Bright moon approaches Spica (all night)

After the bright, waning gibbous moon clears the rooftops in the southeast during mid-evening on Saturday, March 15, Virgo's brightest star, Spica will be twinkling to its lower left (or celestial east). As the night wears on, the moon will drift closer to the star while Earth's rotation carries them west. Before sunrise on Sunday morning, the star will have shifted to the moon's upper left. On Sunday evening, skywatchers in a zone stretching from eastern Africa and south across the Indian Ocean to southeastern Australia can watch the moon occult Spica. Lunar occultations of stars are safe to observe with unaided eyes, binoculars, and telescopes. Use an app like Starry Night to look up the timings where you live.

Sunday, March 16 - Evening Zodiacal Light (after dusk)

If you live in a location where the sky is free of light pollution, you might be able to spot the Zodiacal Light during the two weeks that precede the new moon on March 29. Starting on Sunday, March 16, after the evening twilight has faded, you'll have about half an hour to check the western sky for a broad wedge of faint light extending upward from the horizon and centered on the ecliptic below the planet Jupiter. That glow is the zodiacal light - sunlight scattered from countless small particles of material that populate the plane of our solar system. Don't confuse it with the brighter Milky Way, which extends upwards from the northwestern horizon in the evening at this time of year.

Thursday, March 20 - March Equinox

On Thursday, March 20, at 4:01 a.m. EDT or 1:01 a.m. PDT and 09:01 GMT, the sun will cross the celestial equator traveling north, marking the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of northern spring. Days and nights will be of equal length on that day, and the sun will rise due east and set due west. At mid-northern latitudes on the March equinox, the amount of daylight added to each day peaks at 3 minutes.

Thursday, March 20 - Moon shines near Antares (pre-dawn)

In the southern sky on Thursday morning, March 20, early-morning sky-watchers can see the bright, waning gibbous moon shining several finger-widths to the right of Antares, the bright, reddish star that marks the heart of the Scorpion. The duo will be cozy enough to share the view in binoculars (orange circle). Observers located in most of Australia, southern New Zealand, and westernmost Antarctica can watch the moon occult Antares with unaided eyes, binoculars, and telescopes. Use an app like Starry Night to look up the timings where you live.

Saturday, March 22 - Third Quarter Moon

The moon will reach its third quarter phase on Saturday, March 22, at 6:29 a.m. EST, 3:29 a.m. PST or 11:29 GMT. Third quarter moons rise around midnight in your local time zone, and then remain visible in the morning daytime sky. At third, or last, quarter the moon is 50%-illuminated on its western side, towards the pre-dawn sun. The week of dark, moonless evening skies that follow this phase are ideal for observing deep sky targets in binoculars and telescopes, especially springtime galaxies.

Sunday, March 23 - Earth crosses Saturn's ring plane (pre-dawn)

On Sunday, March 23, Earth's orbit will carry us from the north side to the south side of the plane defined by Saturn's rings, an event that happens every fourteen to seventeen Earth years. On that date, the planet's very thin rings will effectively vanish for a number of hours, leaving the planet as a simple, unadorned globe. During the days and weeks surrounding the crossing, the rings appear through backyard telescopes as a thin line drawn through Saturn.

Unfortunately, this crossing will occur while Saturn is only 10 degrees from the pre-dawn sun and well below the slanted morning ecliptic for observers at mid-northern latitudes. Those viewing Saturn from mid-southern latitudes will have the best chance to see Saturn without rings, but the view will be hampered by morning twilight and atmospheric turbulence and haze over the eastern horizon. The next ring plane crossing will be in October 2038, when Saturn will be 28 degrees from the morning sun.

Saturday, March 29 - New Moon Partial Solar Eclipse

The March new moon will occur on Saturday, March 29, at 6:58 a.m. EDT, 3:58 a.m. PDT, and 10:58 GMT. This new moon will also produce a very deep partial solar eclipse visible across the northeastern USA and Canada, Greenland, most of Europe, northwestern Africa, and northern Russia. After the moon's penumbral shadow first contacts Earth at 08:50:43 GMT in the Atlantic Ocean north of Belem, Brazil, it will sweep northwestward through the New England states and the Canadian Maritimes, across Quebec and Nunavut, then over the pole and southward through northern Russia until it lifts off Earth north of Krasnoyarsk at 12:43:45 GMT. The instant of greatest eclipse, with the moon blocking 94% of the sun's diameter, will occur on the northeastern coast of Hudson Bay, Canada, just after sunrise at 6:47 a.m. EDT or 10:47:27 GMT. This new moon will also generate large tides worldwide.

Monday, March 31 - Earthshine moon below Jupiter (after sunset)

In the western sky after sunset on Monday, March 31, the very slender crescent of the young moon will resemble the Cheshire Cat's smile when it shines below bright Jupiter and the Pleiades Star Cluster — setting up a wonderful wide-field photo opportunity. Uranus will be positioned between them but will not be easily seen without a telescope. Watch for Earthshine on the moon. Sometimes called the Ashen Glow or the Old Moon in the New Moon's Arms, the phenomenon is visible within a day or two of new moon, when sunlight reflected off Earth and back toward the moon slightly brightens the unlit portion of the moon's Earth-facing hemisphere.

Visible planets in March

Mercury

Mercury will spend the first two weeks of March shining with far brighter Venus above the western horizon after sunset. This will be Mercury's best evening apparition of the year for Northern Hemisphere observers but a poor one for those viewing the innermost planet from mid-southern latitudes. Mercury will achieve only an 18-degree separation from the sun at gits reatest elongation on March 8. After mid-month, Mercury will fade into the twilight, pass the sun at inferior solar conjunction on March 24, and join the eastern pre-dawn sky for April. From mid-northern latitudes, the optimal window for seeing Mercury in early March will be 7:30 p.m. local time. Mercury's orbital motion between Earth and the sun during March will cause the planet to steadily decrease in apparent brightness while its illuminated phase in a telescope (only after the sun has completely set), will decrease from 72%-full gibbous to a slender crescent. Its apparent disk size will almost double from 6.2 to 11 arc-seconds. On March 11-12, the dance of the inner planets will position Mercury less than a palm's width to Venus' left (or 5.6 degrees to its celestial southeast). On March 1, the very slim crescent moon will make a lovely sight when it shines above Mercury and to Venus' lower left.

Venus

During March, brilliant Venus will end its lengthy domination of the western evening sky. On March 1, it will gleam at magnitude -4.75. Venus will share the early evening sky with less bright Mercury, passing less than 6 degrees to the upper right (or celestial northwest) of that planet on March 11-12. On March 1, the young crescent moon will make a lovely photo opportunity near both planets. Before Venus gets too low each evening, strong binoculars or a backyard telescope will show the planet's crescent phase waning from 14% to 3% illuminated and a disk that grows in size from 49.5 to 59 arc-seconds. Though it will begin in March, setting about 1.5 hours after sunset, the planet's sunward shift each day as it travels retrograde through Pisces will be so rapid that by mid-month, it will be completely embedded within twilight and increasingly harder to locate after sunset. Venus' very northerly declination will allow it to become visible above the eastern horizon just before sunrise a few mornings ahead of its passage of the sun at inferior conjunction on March 22-23. By month's end Venus will gleam brilliantly over the eastern horizon before sunrise.

Mars

Mars will spend March travelling slowly eastward through central Gemini while it serves as the right-hand (or southwestern) vertex of a triangle with Gemini's brightest stars, Castor and Pollux. The planet will be well-positioned for observation from dusk until the wee hours. As Mars recedes from Earth during March, the red planet will decrease in brightness from magnitude -0.26 to +0.44. Meanwhile, telescope views will show Mars' apparent disk size reducing from 10.8 to 8.2 arc-seconds and its illuminated phase waning to gibbous. On March 8, the bright, waxing gibbous moon will shine just to the upper left (or celestial north) of Mars.

Jupiter

The bright planet Jupiter will be well-placed for evening observation during March. The gas giant will gleam high in the southwestern sky after dusk and set in the hours after midnight. Jupiter will spend all month creeping eastward about a palm's width above (or about 6 degrees to the celestial northeast of) Taurus' brightest star, orange Aldebaran. Binoculars will reveal Jupiter's four large Galilean moons flanking the planet in different arrangements every night. A backyard telescope will show Jupiter's equatorial stripes on a disk that will decrease a little in size from 39.4 to 36.1 arc-seconds over the month, while a better quality instrument will reveal the Great Red Spot every 2nd or 3rd night, Jupiter's Galilean satellites frequently eclipsing and occulting one another, and times when they cast their round, black shadows on the planet. On March 4, a weekly series of double shadow transits that are visible in different parts of the world will commence. The waxing half-moon will shine near Jupiter on March 5 and 6.

Saturn

Since Saturn will pass the sun at solar conjunction on March 12 while in eastern Aquarius, it will only be visible with difficulty from tropical latitudes in the opening and closing days of March. Earth will cross Saturn's ring plane on March 23, obscuring its thin rings completely for a day or so - but the planet will be only 10 degrees west of the sun in the eastern pre-dawn sky and virtually impossible to see.

Uranus

As March begins, magnitude 5.8 Uranus will be observable from dusk until late evening, but its observing window will shorten by about an hour over the month. The planet, which is visible in a backyard telescope or binoculars on moonless nights, will spend the month moving slowly eastwards near the Taurus-Aries border and about 7.5 degrees below (or celestial southwest) of the bright Pleiades Cluster. On March 4, the bright, waxing crescent moon will shine several finger widths to the right (or celestial north) of Uranus.

Neptune

Neptune, in western Pisces, will be hidden from view during all of March. On March 20, it will pass the sun and enter the eastern pre-dawn sky, but the faint, magnitude 7.95 planet will not become observable again until the end of April.

Skywatching terms

Gibbous: Used to describe a planet or moon that is more than 50% illuminated.

Asterism: A noteworthy or striking pattern of stars within a larger constellation.

Degrees (measuring the sky): The sky is 360 degrees all the way around, which means roughly 180 degrees from horizon to horizon. It's easy to measure distances between objects: Your fist on an outstretched arm covers about 10 degrees of sky, while a finger covers about one degree.

Visual Magnitude: This is the astronomer's scale for measuring the brightness of objects in the sky. The dimmest object visible in the night sky under perfectly dark conditions is about magnitude 6.5. Brighter stars are magnitude 2 or 1. The brightest objects get negative numbers. Venus can be as bright as magnitude minus 4.9. The full moon is minus 12.7 and the sun is minus 26.8.

Terminator: The boundary on the moon between sunlight and shadow.

Zenith: The point in the sky directly overhead.

Night sky observing tips

Adjust to the dark: If you wish to observe fainter objects, such as meteors, dim stars, nebulas, and galaxies, give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the darkness. Avoid looking at your phone's bright screen by keeping it tucked away. If you must use it, set the brightness to minimum — or cover it with clingy red film.

Light Pollution: Even from a big city, one can see the moon, a handful of bright stars, and the brightest planets - if they are above the horizon. But to fully enjoy the heavens — especially a meteor shower, the fainter constellations, or to see the amazing swath across the sky that is the disk of our home galaxy, the Milky Way — rural areas are best for night sky viewing. If you're stuck in a city or suburban area, use a tree or dark building to block ambient light (or moonlight) and help reveal fainter sky objects. If you're in the suburbs, simply turning off outdoor lights can help.

Prepare for skywatching: If you plan to be outside for more than a few minutes, and it's not a warm summer evening, dress more warmly than you think is necessary. An hour of winter observing can chill you to the bone. For meteor showers, a blanket or lounge chair will prove to be much more comfortable than standing, or sitting in a chair and craning your neck to see overhead.

Daytime skywatching: On the days surrounding first quarter, the moon is visible in the afternoon daytime sky. At last quarter, the moon rises before sunrise and lingers into the morning daytime sky. When Venus is at a significant angle away from the sun it can often be spotted during the day as a brilliant point of light - but you'll need to consult an astronomy app to know when and where to look for it. When large sunspots develop on the sun, they can be seen without a telescope — as long as you use proper solar filters, such as eclipse glasses. Permanent eye damage can occur if you look at the sun for any length of time without protective eyewear.