March doesn’t have the same sorts of “planet parades” that we saw in January and February. But – especially in early March – we still have an evening sky FULL of planets. Plus March has something January and February didn’t have … a total eclipse of the moon, visible throughout North America. There’s also an eclipse of the sun most of us won’t see … but that will be fun to think about. And of course we have the March equinox, which, for us in the Northern Hemisphere, means the coming of spring. Join EarthSky founder Deborah Byrd for the scoop!
March 4 and 5 evenings: Moon and Jupiter
The evenings of March 4 and 5, 2025, will find the thick waxing crescent moon floating near bright Jupiter, Aldebaran and the Pleiades. Look for them as soon as the sky gets dark. They’ll set around midnight. Aldebaran is the brightest star in Taurus the Bull. The Pleiades is an open star cluster and often called the 7 Sisters. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
Early March evenings: How many planets can you see?
You can see 4 planets in the evening sky in early March 2025. They will lie along the path the sun travels in daytime (the green line on our chart). First, look for Venus and Mercury about 40 minutes after sunset. Can you spot both of them? Then as darkness falls, look for bright Jupiter high overhead and reddish Mars high in the eastern sky. Venus and Mercury set soon after sunset, but you can catch Jupiter and Mars until after midnight. Chart via EarthSky.
Watch a short preview video of the moon phases – and when it visits bright planets – for the month of March 2025. Also, there will be 2 eclipses this month. Check them out!
It’s zodiacal light time
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | It’s time to watch for the zodiacal light! Look west when true darkness falls each evening from the Northern Hemisphere. Look east before dawn begins to break in the Southern Hemisphere. Jeff Andrew captured this image of the zodiacal light from Colorado in 2023. It’s hazy pyramid you see in this image, and it’s most visible in the evenings around the March equinox. You need a dark sky to see this eerie light. As in 2023, the planet Venus will blaze from the midst of the zodiacal light in early March, 2025. Jeff wrote: “A nice display of zodiacal light that appears to emanate from the setting planet Venus, but in reality is a glow of diffuse sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust … In the foreground is the snow-covered Gore Mountain Range of central Colorado.” Read more about the zodiacal light. Thank you, Jeff!
March 6 evening: Moon, Jupiter, Capella and Aldebaran
The 1st quarter moon will lie above Jupiter on the evening of March 6, 2025. Joining them are the bright stars Capella and Aldebaran, plus the Pleiades star cluster. Golden Capella is the brightest star in Auriga the Charioteer. Aldebaran is the fiery eye of Taurus the Bull. The Pleiades – or M45 – is a delicate open star cluster that resembles a tiny dipper. How many stars can you see of the 7 Sisters? Chart via EarthSky.
March 7-8 overnight: Mercury at greatest elongation in the evening sky
Brilliant Venus will shine in the east about 40 minutes after sunset on March 7, 2025, near Mercury. Mercury will reach its greatest distance from the sun at 6 UTC on March 8, 2025. Mercury will be easiest to spot the first few weeks of March. This will be the best evening apparition for Mercury from the Northern Hemisphere in 2025. Chart via EarthSky.
March 7 and 8: Mars and twin stars
The waxing gibbous moon will lie near Mars on March 7, 2025. The bright stars Castor and Pollux are also nearby. Then on the following evening, the moon will float close to Mars and the twin stars of Gemini. Chart via EarthSky.
On March 11, 2025, the waxing gibbous moon will lie close to Regulus, the brightest star in Leo the Lion. Under dark enough skies, can you spot a pattern of stars that looks like a backward question mark? Regulus is its punctuation mark, and the pattern is called the Sickle. The next night, March 12, a fatter gibbous moon will lie below Regulus. Regulus might be lost in the glare of the bright gibbous moon, so try blocking out the moonlight with a distant object or your hand. Chart via EarthSky.
March 13-14 overnight: Total lunar eclipse of the Full Worm Moon
Look for the Full Worm Moon rising opposite the sunset on March 13, 2025. It’ll lie near the brightest star in Leo the Lion, Regulus. Observer’s in the Western Hemisphere will be treated for a total lunar eclipse. Chart via EarthSky.Overnight on March 13-14, 2025, a total lunar eclipse of the Full Worm Moon will sweep across parts of Antarctica, the western half of Africa, western Europe, the Atlantic Ocean, the Americas, the Pacific Ocean, eastern Australia, northern Japan and eastern Russia. The Full Worm Moon occurs at 6:55 UTC (1:55 a.m. CDT) on March 14. That’s three minutes before the midpoint of the total lunar eclipse.
Mid-March evenings: How many planets will you see?
There are 4 bright planets in the mid-March evening sky. They will lie along the path the sun travels in daytime (the green line on our chart). Venus and Mercury will lie low on the western horizon in the bright evening twilight. Look for them about 40 minutes after sunset. They’ll both be slipping away soon. You’ll also spot bright Jupiter and red Mars high overhead. They will be visible until after midnight. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
March 15 and 16 evenings: Moon and Spica
On the evenings of March 15 and 16, 2025, the waning gibbous moon will pass the bright star Spica. Spica is the brightest star in Virgo the Maiden. They’ll rise late evening and be visible through dawn. Chart via EarthSky.
The moon will reach apogee – its farthest distance from Earth in its elliptical orbit – at 17 UTC on March 17, 2025, when it’s 252,123 miles (405,754 km) away.
March 18 and 19 mornings: Moon, Antares and Zubenelgenubi
On the morning of March 18, 2025, the waning gibbous moon will lie near Antares and below the star with the strange sounding name, Zubenelgenubi, the brightest star in Libra the Scales. Then on the following evening, March 19, the moon will be approaching the red star Antares. Antares is the heart of Scorpius the Scorpion. You can catch them after midnight and before dawn. Chart via EarthSky.
The March equinox marks the sun’s crossing above Earth’s equator, moving from south to north bringing spring and summer to the Northern Hemisphere. At the same time, the March equinox marks the beginning of autumn – and a shift toward winter – in the Southern Hemisphere. The sun crosses the celestial equator – a line directly above Earth’s equator – at 9:01 UTC (4:01 a.m. CDT) on March 20, 2025.
March 20 and 21 mornings: Moon and Antares
On the mornings of March 20, 2025, the waning gibbous moon will hang with the stars of Scorpius the Scorpion and will pass the bright red star Antares. Then on the morning of March 21, 2025, the moon will lie above the stinger of Scorpius. They’ll rise after midnight and be visible through dawn. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
Overnight on March 21-22: Watch for the nearly last quarter moon
The moment of last quarter moon will fall at 11:29 UTC (6:29 a.m. CDT) on March 22, 2025. It’ll rise after midnight your local time and set around noon. Look for it high in the sky before dawn.
On the morning of March 22, 2025, the last quarter moon will slide past the asterism of the Teapot of Sagittarius the Archer in the morning sky. Then on the morning of March 23, the waning crescent moon will hang near the Teapot. You can catch them before dawn. Chart via EarthSky.
On March 23, 2025, as seen from Earth, Saturn’s angle of tilt toward Earth places the rings edge-on from our vantage point. This happens approximately every 13 to 15 years. Saturn’s rings are remarkably flat. When they’re turned precisely edge-on to us, they’ll seem to disappear! Unfortunately for observers, Saturn is too close to the sun right now to see.
March 24 and 25 mornings: Can you still see the moon?
On the mornings of March 24 and 25, 2025, can you still see the waning crescent moon? It’ll be low in the sky shortly before sunrise. If your sky is dark enough, you might spot the famous Teapot of Sagittarius. It resembles an old-fashion teapot. Look for them about an hour before dawn. If you do see the moon, watch for a lovely glow on its unlit portion. That’s earthshine, light bounced from Earth. Chart via EarthSky.
Late March evenings: Jupiter and Mars
At the end of March, after Venus and Mercury have slipped away from the evening sky, there are now 2 bright planets in the evening sky. They will lie along the path the sun travels in daytime (the green line on our chart). You’ll spot bright Jupiter and red Mars high overhead in the sky. Jupiter will set after midnight and Mars will set before dawn. Chart via EarthSky.
March 29: New moon and partial solar eclipse
The moment of new moon will fall at 10:58 UTC (5:58 a.m. CDT) on March 29, 2025. New moons rise and set with the sun. It’s the second of five new supermoons in a row for 2025. Plus, observers in northeastern North America, Greenland, Iceland, the north Atlantic Ocean, most of Europe and northwestern Russia can see a deep partial solar eclipse. Nights around the new moon are perfect for stargazing. See EarthSky’s best places to stargaze.
On the evenings of March 30 and 31, 2025, a slender waxing crescent moon will float in the western evening sky as darkness falls. Watch for a lovely glow of earthshine on the unlit portion of the moon. That’s reflected light off the Earth. Chart via EarthSky.
The moon will reach perigee – its closest point to us in its elliptical orbit around Earth – at 21 UTC (4 p.m. CST) on March 1, 2025, when it’s 222,530 miles (358,128 km) away.
March evening stars
If you’re out stargazing on any March evening, look for these stars and constellations overhead in the sky.
On March evenings, the Big Dipper is ascending in the northeast. The famous double-star Mizar and Alcor is the 2nd star to the end of the Dipper’s handle. Look closely, and you’ll see the 2 points of light. Mizar is the brighter one, and Alcor is the fainter one. The Big Dipper is an asterism – a well know pattern of stars – in the constellation of Ursa Major the Great Bear. It’s handy to locate the North Star, Polaris. Image via EarthSky.Almost overhead in the March evening sky, you’ll find the bright star Capella in the constellation Auriga the Charioteer. It’s a flashy star when close to the horizon because it’s bright at magnitude 0.24 and its light dances around when looking through our thick atmosphere. To be sure you’ve found Capella, look for a little triangle of stars nearby. Capella is sometimes called the Goat Star, and the little triangle of stars is an asterism called The Kids. It’s high overhead in March evening skies. Image via EarthSky.On March evenings, look overhead for the constellation Gemini the Twins. The twin stars are Castor and Pollux. However, in March 2025, there’s a trio of bright lights in Gemini. That’s because the the planet Mars is near the twin stars. Image via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
March evening planets
Brilliant Venus will lie far above the much dimmer Mercury in early March. Then, every evening, Venus will drop a little closer to little Mercury. Mercury will reach its greatest distance from the sun on March 7-8, 2025.In the 2nd week of March 2025, brilliant Venus will lie close to the horizon near bright – but elusive – Mercury. By mid-March, both planets will soon be lost in the bright twilight. Venus passes between us and the sun at 1 UTC on March 23. Venus will emerge in the morning sky in April. It’ll reach its greatest distance from the morning sun on May 31-June 1, 2025. Mercury will pass between us and the sun at 20 UTC on March 24. Chart via EarthSky.In March 2025, bright Jupiter will lie high in the evening sky. It will shine near the Pleiades, the Hyades and Aldebaran. Aldebaran is the fiery eye of Taurus the Bull and is a foreground star of the V-shaped Hyades star cluster. Jupiter outshines even the brightest stars. Jupiter will rise before sunset in March and set after midnight by month’s end. It’ll remain in the constellation of Taurus the Bull until it passes behind the sun – in its solar conjunction – in June. Chart via EarthSky.In March 2025, the red planet Mars will lie near the twin stars of Gemini: Castor and Pollux. The trio will form a triangle – changing from day-to-day – this month. It’ll be fun to keep an eye on how Mars moves relative to the twin stars. Mars will remain visible in the evening sky through November but continue to fade the rest of the year as it recedes from Earth. However, this month Mars will shine a bit brighter than the twin stars. Chart via EarthSky.
Where’s Saturn? It’s too close to the sun to be visible this month. It’s in conjunction with the sun on March 10.
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
Sky dome map for visible planets and night sky
Here is the sky dome view for March 2025. It shows what is above the horizon at mid-evening for mid-northern latitudes. The view may vary depending on your location. Image via Guy Ottewell’s 2025 Astronomical Calendar.
