March 7-9, 2025: The waxing gibbous moon approaches and passes Mars. The Red Planet, Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury are visible in an evening planet parade.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Moon Passes Mars
The waxing gibbous moon passes Mars during the early evening hours. One hour after sundown, look for the moon high in the southeastern sky. Here’s what to see:
- March 7: The lunar orb, 65% illuminated, is high in the southeastern sky. It is 13.2° to Mars upper right, about two-thirds of the way from bright Jupiter to the Red Planet.
- March 8: The waxing gibbous moon, 75% illuminated, is high in the southeast. It is 1.4° to Mars’ upper left. Look carefully for the Red Planet near the bright moon. A binocular is helpful. Find Pollux, 5.7° to the moon’s lower left, and Castor, 5.9° to the moon’s left. The stars are the Gemini Twins.
- March 9: The moon, 83% illuminated, is high in the east-southeast, 13.2° to Mars lower left and 8.2° to Pollux’s lower left.
Evening Planet Parade
Three other planets are in the evening sky. Look for Mercury, below Venus, at 45 minutes after nightfall. The innermost planet is less than 10° above the western horizon. Find a clear view looking in that direction. Tomorrow, the planet appears farthest from the sun, known as greatest elongation.
Brilliant Venus is departing the evening sky, appearing lower each evening. Tonight, it is nearly 15° above the western horizon and 7.3° to Mercury’s upper right. They fit tightly into the same binocular field of view.
Tonight’s third bright planet is Jupiter. It is high in the southwest. The Jovian Giant, the second brightest starlike body tonight, rambles eastward in front of Taurus, 5.8° above Aldebaran.
Notice that Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and the moon line up along an arc of the solar system’s plane, known as the ecliptic.
Look for the moon as it passes Mars during early March.
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