- Tonight, you get two cool things:
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– The Moon and Jupiter look close together.
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– Ganymede reappears into view after hiding behind Jupiter.
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Thursday 26th March 2026
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Thursday 26th March 2026
- Mars reaches perihelion today at 06:41am, when it is at its closest distance to the Sun: 1.38 AU.
o - An AU in astronomy is a unit of distance equal to the average distance between the Earth and the Sun, defined precisely as about 93 million miles:
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………– Sun to Mercury about 1.5 AU (average 36 million miles)
………– Sun to Venus about 0.72 AU (around 67 million miles)
………– Sun to Earth about 1 AU (average 93 million miles)
………– Sun to Mars about 1.5 AU (average 140 million miles)
………– Sun to Jupiter about 5.2 AU (average 484 million miles)
………– Sun to Saturn about 9.6 AU (average 891 million miles)
………– Sun to Uranus about 19.2 AU (average 1.78 billion miles)
………– Sun to Neptune about 30 AU (average 2.8 billion miles)
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Wednesday 25th March 2026
- The Moon reaches its exact Last Quarter phase at 19:19 / 7.19pm this evening.
o - Moonrise at 10:07am on 9th February, Transit at 19:10pm and moonset at 03:20am on Thursday 26th March.
o
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Wednesday 25th March 2026
- Lunar X and Lunar V
Sunlight catches rims at lunar first quarter to create the bright V and X shapes.
- Best viewing time in the UK
The phenomenon begins later in the day compared to the February event – all times are given in GMT.
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–…Today: Wednesday 25th March 2026
–…Start formation: 21:45 / 9.45pm (become visible)
–…Peak visibility: 23:45 / 11.45pm (fully formed as best contrast)
–…Fade disappearing: 01:45 / 1.45am (Thursday 26th February)
–…Visible: excellent (high in the sky in late evening.)
o - The Moon repeats its cycle every 29½ days, so these effects happen every month, just on slightly different dates – see the complete full timetable for 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030.
o - Equipment
While sometimes visible with high-power binoculars, a telescope is recommended to see the fine detail of the crater rims forming the Lunar X and V.
o
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Sunday 22nd March 2026
- The Moon will reach perigee, its closest point to Earth, at 11.39am today, sits in the constellation Taurus (The Bull).
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2026 Apogee Dates
(Moon Furthest from Earth)
- Tuesday 13th January
- Tuesday 10th February
- Tuesday 10th March
- Tuesday 7th April
- Monday 4th May
- Monday 1st June
- Thursday 28th June
- Saturday 25th July
- Saturday 22nd August
- Saturday 19th September
- Friday 16th October
- Thursday 13th November
- Friday 11th December
2026 Perigee Dates
(Moon Closest to Earth)
- Thursday 1st January
- Thursday 29th January
- Monday 24th February
- Saturday 22nd March
- Sunday 30th March
- Sunday 19th April
- Sunday 17th May
- Monday 15th June
- Monday 13th July
- Monday 10th August
- Sunday 6th September
- Thursday 1st October
- Wednesday 28th October
- Wednesday 25th November
- Thursday 24th December
oooo
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Sunday 22nd March 2026
- Mercury re‑emerges into the eastern morning sky in mid‑March, gradually climbing in altitude before sunrise, but it can still be very difficult to see because of the Sun’s glare.
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Northern Lights at Norfolk
- Astronomers were given a little extra treat over the Spring Equinox as the Northern Lights appeared off the Norfolk coast.
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Friday 20th March 2026
- The pair becomes visible shortly after sunset, low in the western sky.
o - Venus and the Moon come together in the evening sky tonight, forming a lovely evening conjunction.
o - The Moon will be a very thin crescent, only one day old after the New Moon.
o - Both will sit in the constellation Pisces (The Fishes).
o
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Friday 20th March 2026
- Everyone on Earth gets almost exactly the same amount of daylight and darkness.
o - The March equinox marks the start of spring in the northern half of the world.
o
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Thursday 19th March 2026
- A shadow transit occurs when a moon passes between the Sun and Jupiter, causing its shadow to fall on Jupiter’s cloud tops.
o - Through a telescope, the shadow appears as a small, sharp black dot moving steadily across the planet’s bright surface.
o
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