A look at some Irish Astronomical history and some highlights of the Sky visible during the Week by our very own Paul Evans.
March stands as an exciting month for those interested in the night sky, Irish Astronomy Week 2026 is shaping up to be an extraordinary week for stargazers, bringing a whole host of celestial wonders into sharper focus with distant galaxies, constellations, and a stellar twilight portrait of planets in the evening sky.
Here’s a detailed month-by-month guide to what’s visible in the night sky in March 2026 — including planets, the Moon, special events, constellations, and deep-sky objects you can enjoy with the naked eye, binoculars, or a small telescope. Visibility times will depend on your local conditions in Ballina, Ireland (Northern Hemisphere), but the following covers the major astronomical highlights for March 2026 (Northern Hemisphere perspective).
The Full Moon, known as the Worm Moon, undergoes a total lunar eclipse, turning a reddish “blood moon” color as it passes through Earth’s shadow.
This is one of the biggest sky events of the year and can be seen without any special equipment as long as the Moon is above your horizon.
Although not an “object in the night sky,” the spring (vernal) equinox occurs on March 20, marking the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator — day and night are nearly equal, and nights continue to lengthen further north.
Venus (very bright) passes close to Saturn in the evening sky near the western horizon about an hour after sunset.
Venus shines far brighter than Saturn, but both are visible to the naked eye; a pair of binoculars or a small telescope will reveal Saturn’s rings.
Mars and Mercury appear near each other in the constellation Aquarius. Both are visible without equipment under dark skies, though Mercury can be faint and low.
Several close Moon / planet encounters occur:
March 17: Thin crescent Moon near Mercury and Mars.
March 19-20: The Moon also appears near Venus after sunset (per general sky guides).
Jupiter continues to be prominent in the evening sky, shining brightly after sunset and through much of the night.
Saturn and Uranus may be visible with optical aid, while Neptune and especially Mercury are more challenging without binoculars.
Throughout March the Moon passes near several notable stars and deep-sky objects:
| Date | Event | Celestial Pairing |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2 & 29 | Moon near Regulus | Bright star in Leo. |
| Mar 6 | Moon near Spica | Bright star in Virgo. |
| Mar 10 | Moon near Antares | Red giant in Scorpius. |
| Mar 27 | Moon near Pollux | Bright star in Gemini. |
| Mar 28 | Moon near Beehive Cluster (M44) | Open cluster in Cancer — nice with binoculars. |
These close encounters make for great targets to locate with binoculars.
Even though much of the Milky Way’s brightest summer regions are still low or absent in early March, there’s plenty to enjoy:
Orion Nebula (M42) – Visible in the southern sky after dusk; a bright star-forming region easily seen with binoculars or a small telescope.
Pleiades (M45) and Hyades Cluster – Beautiful open clusters in Taurus rising in the northeast in early evening.
Double Cluster (NGC 869/884) – Two rich star clusters in Perseus, excellent in binoculars.
Planetary nebulae and open clusters such as the Blue Snowball (C22), Eskimo Nebula (C39), and Owl Nebula (M97) become visible overhead or in the northeast.
There are no major meteor shower peaks in March comparable to the Perseids or Geminids, but fainter minor showers like the Eta-Virginids can produce sporadic meteors during the month (best seen under dark skies).
Timing: Look after local sunset for planets like Venus and Saturn in the west. For lunar events and deep-sky objects, late evening into early morning is best.
Equipment: Binoculars greatly enhance visibility of star clusters and planetary conjunctions; small telescopes bring out planetary details, lunar features, and fainter deep-sky objects.
Sky Conditions: Dark skies away from city lights make a huge difference for fainter stars and clusters.
Spring evening crescents are the best! The so-called Luna, half-moon, or sickle of the moon, also waning and waxing moon, is a sign of fertility, related to life and death, and thus a popular symbol in many religions. Sighting the slimmest possible crescent is a monthly pursuit for many a Spring stargazer. The beauty of a slim crescent Moon is a glittering prize, but it’s elusive. On the evening immediately after a New Moon (March 11th) it’s incredibly difficult to see, even with a telescope. Not only is it very slim, but it’s visible in a still-bright sky for just a few minutes after sunset.
Another faint feature of the night sky as well: the zodiacal light. Visible after sunset at this time of year, this cone-shaped glow is generated by sunlight scattering off dust left by comets and asteroids as they make their way through the inner solar system. You’ll need a very dark moonless sky with no interfering lights. The zodiacal light is aligned with the ecliptic, Earth’s orbital plane, and passes through Pisces, Aries, and Taurus. Try using peripheral vision to spot the arching cone of light by scanning left to right along the horizon. The zodiacal light is a popular astrophotography target as well; a wide-angle lens on a camera capable of taking 15- to 30-second exposures should be all you need to get an amazing shot.
Take a night to drive to a dark sky site during the first few days of Astronomy Week to find some of the most popular and easy-to-spot messier objects including the Orion Nebula (M42), the Pleiades (M45), the Beehive Cluster (M44), the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules (M13), and the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). The glorious Andromeda galaxy. It’s the great spiral galaxy next door to the Milky Way, it has an apparent magnitude of about +4 and the most distant object you can see with your naked eye alone. We advise people to find the galaxy by star-hopping from the constellation Cassiopeia and to make it easier we recommend that you use the “Stellarium” app on mobile. See https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.noctuasoftware.stellarium_free&hl=en_GB
Spotting the ISS in the night sky
The station completes one full orbit around the Earth in 90 minutes (16 times in 24 hours), which means you could potentially see the station several times within a few hours period, provided you are on the night side of the planet and know where to look. The International Space Station orbits with an inclination of 51.6 degrees. This means that, as it orbits, the farthest north and south of the Equator it will ever go is 51.6 degrees latitude. If you live the south of Ireland that’s overhead. We understand that the next series of evening passes occur in early March 2024, log onto www.heavens-above.com or download their app
Spotting Starlinks
If you spotted strange line lights in the evening sky? you’re not alone. And no, it wasn’t aliens! The lights, which appear in a straight line, are new Starlink satellites launching in batches of 23 by SpaceX to provide worldwide internet connection. For more information go to
