Don’t Miss These Stunning Celestial Events: Rare Planet Parade and Eclipses This Month!

SEATTLE — Even though the Pacific Northwest isn’t known for clear skies in winter and early spring, there are still plenty of celestial events to enjoy if the clouds clear up.

This month, stargazers can look forward to sightings of eclipses, a parade of planets, and other amazing astronomical events.

Planet Parade

Right now, seven planets are coming together in a spectacular sight known as a planetary parade. While not all of these planets can be seen without a telescope, you can easily spot a few.

A planetary parade occurs when several planets appear to cluster together in the sky. They won’t line up perfectly but will be grouped on one side of the sun. This happens every year to some extent, but seeing a large number of planets at once is a special treat.

NASA notes that visible planet parades happen every few years. Last June, only two planets were visible without equipment, while four were seen in January. Now, dim Mercury joins the lineup.

This month, you’ll be able to see Venus, Mars, and Jupiter with the naked eye. Fainter Mercury and Saturn will be near the horizon, making them trickier to spot. If you have binoculars or a telescope, you can check out Uranus and Neptune too.

For the best viewing experience, step outside on a clear night after sunset. The brighter planets will shine like stars, and Mars will look like a reddish dot. Using stargazing apps can help you find them easily.

Lunar Eclipse

Don’t miss the lunar eclipse on the night of March 13 and 14! This is when the Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the moon, causing it to take on a red hue.

A lunar eclipse can only happen when the moon is full. When the Earth is perfectly in line between the sun and the moon, our planet’s shadow covers the moon, coloring it red for a few hours.

Lunar eclipses last longer than solar ones and can be seen by many people across the globe. Interestingly, they usually occur about two weeks before or after a solar eclipse, and there’s a partial solar eclipse coming up on March 29.

Spring Equinox

The spring equinox occurs on March 20, marking the official start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. But what does this mean?

The equinox happens when the Earth’s axis and orbit align, allowing both the northern and southern hemispheres to receive equal sunlight. The term “equinox” comes from Latin words meaning “equal” and “night,” as day and night are nearly the same length during this time.

The Northern Hemisphere can experience the spring equinox between March 19 and 21 each year, while the autumnal equinox happens around September 21 to 24.

So, what about solstices? They occur when the Earth is tilted most toward or away from the sun, resulting in the longest and shortest days of the year. The summer solstice takes place around June 20 to 22, while the winter solstice falls between December 20 and 23.

The summer solstice in Seattle will be on June 20, 2025, and the winter solstice will be on December 21, 2025.

It’s essential to understand the difference between meteorological and astronomical seasons. Meteorological seasons are based on temperature cycles and split the year into three-month sections: spring starts March 1, summer on June 1, autumn on September 1, and winter on December 1. Meanwhile, astronomical seasons follow the Earth’s orbit, marking equinoxes and solstices as the seasonal changes.

Partial Solar Eclipse

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves between the Earth and the sun, blocking some of the sun’s light. In a partial eclipse, the alignment isn’t perfect, so a crescent of sunlight can still be seen.

Unfortunately, this upcoming partial solar eclipse will not be visible in much of the U.S., including the Pacific Northwest.