If you managed to see the seven-planet parade – or even one or two of the visible planets in the night sky – at the end of February, you may be itching to get back outside and see what else is 'up' this week.
Here we'll look at the easiest, most impressive stargazing events that can be seen with the naked eye, and how to see them.
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Complete newcomer? Read our beginner's guide to astronomy
In our guide we'll refer to magnitude (mag.) and degrees (°). These are handy stargazing terms to know.
Magnitude is the word in astronomy used to describe how bright something appears, and degrees are used to measure the apparent distance between objects in the sky.
1° is about the width of a finger held out at arm's length.
Night sky this week
There are two key planet dates this week: the ring plane crossing of Saturn and Venus at inferior solar conjunction.
This week also marks the beginning of springtime, with the 2025 spring equinox occurring on Thursday 20 March.
All week, Jupiter and Mars are visible in the evening sky above the constellation Orion.
The Moon is out of the way, only dipping low above the southern horizon in the very early hours.
On Monday 17 March, the Moon is at aphelion, its furthest point from the Sun in its orbit.
It's also at apogee, its furthest point from Earth in its orbit.
Consider both of these events as you step out tonight and look up at the Moon, which will be big and bright, just a few days after being full.
On Thursday 20 March, the Moon is close to Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpio.
You can see both in the southern sky around 05:00 UTC.
From the Southern Hemisphere, this will be a lunar occultation of Antares.
On Sunday 23 March, Saturn's rings seem to disappear, during an event known as a 'ring plane crossing'.
This is when Saturn tilts so that its rings appear edge-on, making them virtually invisible, as seen from Earth.
However, we won't get to see this because Saturn is currently not visible anyway!
Also on 23 March, Venus reaches inferior conjunction, which means it's positioned between Earth and the Sun and difficult to see.
However, this marks the point when Venus transitions from an evening object to a morning object.
Track it in the evening sky in the west after sunset. Then, after inferior conjunction, see if you can spot it in the east before sunrise.
Thanks to Mary McIntyre for providing the dates and timings for these stargazing events.
Share your stargazing images and adventures with us by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
