Night sky guide

March 2026

FebMarApr

New moon

Mar 19

Worm Moon

Mar 3

Dark-sky window

Mar 15 - Mar 23

excellent moon conditions

Best first target

M97/M108

Future · Horizon check

Monthly anchors

Late winterBig Dipper season

March 2026

Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31

Targets

Ordered for this month's Munich guide view.

Planetary Nebula
M97
Ursa Major

Owl Nebula

M97

Planetary Nebula

moderate
FutureHorizon checkUrsa MajorSmall telescopeMag 9.92,030 ly

A planetary nebula with a face — two dark regions create an 'owl-like' appearance in the shell of gas expelled by a dying star.

Find it

Not visible to naked eye. Located in Ursa Major, about 2.5° southeast of Merak (β UMa), one of the pointer stars of the Big Dipper.

Open Cluster
M41
Canis Major

M41

M41

Open Cluster

easy
TentativeLearningCanis MajorNaked eyeMag 4.52,300 ly

A bright open cluster just south of Sirius, possibly observed by Aristotle in 325 BC — making it one of the first deep-sky objects ever recorded.

Find it

Find Sirius — the brightest star in the night sky. M41 lies exactly 4° south of Sirius, easily visible to the naked eye as a fuzzy patch.

Seasonal constellations

Canis Major

1 target

February
M41

In Canis Major, directly south of Sirius

Ursa Major

1 target

April
Owl Nebula

In Ursa Major, near the bottom of the Big Dipper's bowl

Meteor showers

No major meteor shower peaks in March. Focus on the dark-sky window and the seasonal targets above.