What to See in the Spring Night Sky - Planets, DSO, Meteor Showers
A collection of Spring night sky targets to observe during March to May before the days get too long and we lose dark nights for the summer.

By Tim Trott | What to See in the Sky at Night | February 14, 2013

1,128 words, estimated reading time 4 minutes.

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Spring deep sky objects In March and April include the Leo Triplet (M65, M66 and NGC 3628) are a fine sight in a 6 or 8-inch telescope, and there are several open and globular clusters worth observing as well.

Find out what to see in the nights sky this month.

Spring Planets

Mercury will be visible in the evening sky from mid-February to early March and in the morning from late March to early May. Mercury returns to the evening sky between early June and mid-July, then back to the morning sky between early August to mid-August. Look for Mercury again in the evening sky between late September and early November. Mercury will be brightest in the evening sky between February and March.

Venus is always brilliant, shining with a steady, silvery light. Mornings in the eastern sky at dawn from early January through to mid-June. Then, because of its proximity to the sun, it will be invisible all through the summer into the early fall. Venus will return to the evening, in the western sky at dusk from Early October through the end of December.

Mars, The Red Planet is visible in the night sky from January to mid-July, then shifts to the morning sky from mid-Oct to the end of December.

Jupiter is a splendid object visible in the southern sky as soon as darkness falls and does not set until early morning. Using higher magnifications you will see the yellowish flattened disc and the four Galilean satellites. You should be able to follow the movement of these moons from night to night. It will be visible in the mornings from January to May, evenings from May to November, and mornings again from mid-December to the end of December.

Saturn shines like a yellowish-white "star" of moderate brightness. The famous rings are only visible in a telescope. Saturn is visible in the mornings from late January to early July, and then in the evenings from July to December.

Spring Deep Sky Objects

Spring Deep Sky Objects are some of the best of the year with a multitude of galaxies and star clusters before the short summer nights take hold, and is prime time for the Leo triplet of galaxies. Sitting about halfway between the stars Chertan and Iota Leonis, the three galaxies are a sight to behold as they all fit within the field of view of a small telescope.

The Leo Triplet is best observed during the beginning and end of the month when the Moon is low in the sky or hasn't yet risen.

Location of Leo Triplet (M65, M66 and NGC 3628)

March is also the time to look out for the Beehive cluster (M44) in Cancer as it will be high in the sky. It is visible with the naked eye from a dark site, and a superb star cluster to observe in a small telescope.

If you're just beginning to observe galaxies then Messier M81 - Bode's Galaxy, and Messier M82 - Cigar Galaxy - in the constellation of Ursa Major are a nice bright pair to track down. They are located very close to one another, about 2° east of the star 24 Ursae Majoris.

The spring night skies are also home to some wonderful globular clusters. M3 in Canes Venatici and M5 in Serpens are good targets for a small telescope and can also be glimpsed with binoculars from sites with dark skies.

Spring Meteor Showers

Spring is a quiet time for meteors, there is just the annual Lyrids Meteor Shower and Eta Aquarids to look out for, both in April. The Lyrids are visible from around the 16th to the 25th of April and you can expect between 5 to 20 meteors per hour. The Eta Aquarids are active from around the 19th to the 28th.

Click here for a visual guide to meteor showers.