March has a long legacy as a month for celebration and revels for St Patrick’s Day are in full swing today. March’s name originated from the Latin word Martius, named after the Roman God of War, Mars. It was the first month of the year complete with New Year’s festivities.

To early civilizations, March represented new beginnings. Nature revived after winter. Farming resumed with the start of spring. This year the first day of spring arrives this Fri., March 20, at 10:46 a.m. EDT. The Vernal Equinox represents the moment when the Sun shines directly on the equator, and most of the world receives nearly equal amounts of day and night. Earth tilts neither towards nor away from the Sun in this moment of balance. In the northern hemisphere, darkness falls behind as days get brighter and longer.

At dusk tomorrow Wed., March 18, the faintest sliver of a waning moon will see brilliant Venus above and to the left. At dawn, look to see the crescent moon meet Mars and Mercury in a brief moment just before sunrise. During the new moon on March 19, telescope viewers have an opportunity to observe fainter objects like the pale blue-green of Uranus or the dazzling stars of the Beehive Cluster (M44). The following day, low to the western horizon, the waxing moon dangles below Venus as twilight fades into night.