by Matthew Johnson

One little-known celestial phenomenon is zodiacal light. Seen as a glowing wedge of diffuse light tilted in the direction of the sun’s path, zodiacal light is created as the sun backlights particles of interplanetary dust between itself and Earth.

These illuminated remnants from the passage of comets, the collision of asteroids, and the formation of the solar system are best seen in March shortly after sunset, in the days when the moon is at its dimmest—this year from March 11 to 25.

Find a dark site with an unobstructed view of the western horizon and look for zodiacal light as twilight deepens. It will appear as a soft, glowing triangle leaning to the left, rising from its base at the horizon toward the constellations of Taurus and Gemini.

The Planets this month: beginning on March 17, an hour or so before dawn in the Eastern sky, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will come together in a spectacular conjunction and form a line. On March 18, a waxing moon will appear just below the three with Saturn to the left, Mars in the middle and Jupiter to the right. 

This year, we will see the earliest occurrence of spring in 124 years, with the vernal equinox occurring at 11:50 p.m. on March 19. 

And don’t forget that 2 a.m. on March 8 marks the start of Daylight Saving Time, when we set our clocks forward an hour.