Skywatch for the week of March 30, 2026
By Jon U. Bell
March 30, 2026 at 12:00 AM EDT
Skywatch Monday 3-30-2026.mp3
Mon Mar 30, 2026 OUT WITH THE RAM
The old saying, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb,” refers to the improving weather in the springtime of the year. But there is also an astronomical connection. In early March, the constellation Leo the Lion appears in the east after sunset. As the month progresses, Leo is a little higher in the sky each night, while in the west, winter constellations sink toward the horizon. By the end of March, one of our winter constellations makes its exit in the western sky. For the past few weeks, the sun has been steadily encroaching on this constellation, due to the earth’s revolution. Now the sun is about to pass between us and the constellation Aries the Ram. March comes in with the Lion and goes out with the Ram.
Tue
Skywatch Tuesday 3-31-2026.mp3
Mar 31, 2026 SEASONAL STARS/ASTRONOMY CLUB MEETING
It’s springtime, but there are still some winter constellations up in the sky this evening. Orion the Hunter, Taurus the Bull, the Big and Little Dogs, Auriga the Charioteer and the Gemini Twins have slipped over into the west, as new star groups like the Big Dipper and Leo the Lion take their places in the northern and eastern sky. Soon the bright stars Arcturus and Spica will rise. If you want to keep up-to-date with sky events like this, there is a great local astronomy club that can help: it’s called the Treasure Coast Astronomical Society, and in addition to having star parties and sky watching events for their members, the club is open to the public. They’ll meet tonight at 7:30 pm at the Hallstrom Planetarium that’s in the N building, on the main Fort Pierce campus of Indian River State College.
The moon is full today. This is the first full moon since the beginning of Spring, so it’s called the Paschal moon, which determines when Passover and Easter occur each year. Easter always occurs on the Sunday following the first full moon of the spring season, it’s what’s called a “moveable feast,” because the date of the observance changes from year to year depending on when the moon is full. Since spring is underway, the Sioux Indians call April’s full moon, the Moon of Greening Grass; to the Winnebago, it is Planting Corn Moon. The Seneca Indians, the Keepers of the Western Door, recognize this as the time of the strawberry dance, while the Keepers of the Eastern Door, the Mohawk, know it as “Onerahtokha,” the budding time, which is similar to the Kiowa’s Leaf Moon, as this is the time of year when new leaves form on trees.
Thur Apr 2, 2026 APRIL FOOLS
Long ago the new year began not on January 1st, but on March 25th, which at that time also marked the beginning of spring. People were so glad winter was over, they partied for about a week, right up through the first day of April. Then came the Gregorian calendar reform in 1582, and in France, King Charles the 9th decided this was also a good time to move the new year’s celebration from the end of March to the beginning of January, where it is now. But some people just didn’t get it, and continued to observe the new year on April 1st. These people were laughed at, and called “poisson d'avril," or “April Fish” by their more sophisticated countrymen. And this is the origin of our modern April Fool’s Day. No fooling.
Fri Apr 3, 2026 STAR NAMES AND DESIGNATIONS
In science fiction, Alpha Centauri is a favorite destination for many space travelers. But that’s not actually the star’s name, just its designation. Its real name is Rigel Kentaurus, which means, “the centaur’s knee,” “Alpha” just means it’s the brightest star in the constellation of the Centaur - so, Alpha Centauri. The star Arcturus, which you can see in the east this evening, is designated, Alpha Boötis, the brightest star of Boötes the Shepherd. To its south is Alpha Virginis, the brightest star in Virgo, named Spica. The second brightest star in a constellation is designated Beta, such as Merak, one of the stars in the Big Dipper. It’s designated Beta Ursa Majoris, because the Big Dipper is just a part of the constellation of Ursa Major, the Great Bear. And so on down the Greek alphabet – alpha, beta, gamma, delta and so on.
Mon Mar 30, 2026 OUT WITH THE RAM
The old saying, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb,” refers to the improving weather in the springtime of the year. But there is also an astronomical connection. In early March, the constellation Leo the Lion appears in the east after sunset. As the month progresses, Leo is a little higher in the sky each night, while in the west, winter constellations sink toward the horizon. By the end of March, one of our winter constellations makes its exit in the western sky. For the past few weeks, the sun has been steadily encroaching on this constellation, due to the earth’s revolution. Now the sun is about to pass between us and the constellation Aries the Ram. March comes in with the Lion and goes out with the Ram.
Tue
Skywatch Tuesday 3-31-2026.mp3
Mar 31, 2026 SEASONAL STARS/ASTRONOMY CLUB MEETING
It’s springtime, but there are still some winter constellations up in the sky this evening. Orion the Hunter, Taurus the Bull, the Big and Little Dogs, Auriga the Charioteer and the Gemini Twins have slipped over into the west, as new star groups like the Big Dipper and Leo the Lion take their places in the northern and eastern sky. Soon the bright stars Arcturus and Spica will rise. If you want to keep up-to-date with sky events like this, there is a great local astronomy club that can help: it’s called the Treasure Coast Astronomical Society, and in addition to having star parties and sky watching events for their members, the club is open to the public. They’ll meet tonight at 7:30 pm at the Hallstrom Planetarium that’s in the N building, on the main Fort Pierce campus of Indian River State College.
The moon is full today. This is the first full moon since the beginning of Spring, so it’s called the Paschal moon, which determines when Passover and Easter occur each year. Easter always occurs on the Sunday following the first full moon of the spring season, it’s what’s called a “moveable feast,” because the date of the observance changes from year to year depending on when the moon is full. Since spring is underway, the Sioux Indians call April’s full moon, the Moon of Greening Grass; to the Winnebago, it is Planting Corn Moon. The Seneca Indians, the Keepers of the Western Door, recognize this as the time of the strawberry dance, while the Keepers of the Eastern Door, the Mohawk, know it as “Onerahtokha,” the budding time, which is similar to the Kiowa’s Leaf Moon, as this is the time of year when new leaves form on trees.
Thur Apr 2, 2026 APRIL FOOLS
Long ago the new year began not on January 1st, but on March 25th, which at that time also marked the beginning of spring. People were so glad winter was over, they partied for about a week, right up through the first day of April. Then came the Gregorian calendar reform in 1582, and in France, King Charles the 9th decided this was also a good time to move the new year’s celebration from the end of March to the beginning of January, where it is now. But some people just didn’t get it, and continued to observe the new year on April 1st. These people were laughed at, and called “poisson d'avril," or “April Fish” by their more sophisticated countrymen. And this is the origin of our modern April Fool’s Day. No fooling.
Fri Apr 3, 2026 STAR NAMES AND DESIGNATIONS
In science fiction, Alpha Centauri is a favorite destination for many space travelers. But that’s not actually the star’s name, just its designation. Its real name is Rigel Kentaurus, which means, “the centaur’s knee,” “Alpha” just means it’s the brightest star in the constellation of the Centaur - so, Alpha Centauri. The star Arcturus, which you can see in the east this evening, is designated, Alpha Boötis, the brightest star of Boötes the Shepherd. To its south is Alpha Virginis, the brightest star in Virgo, named Spica. The second brightest star in a constellation is designated Beta, such as Merak, one of the stars in the Big Dipper. It’s designated Beta Ursa Majoris, because the Big Dipper is just a part of the constellation of Ursa Major, the Great Bear. And so on down the Greek alphabet – alpha, beta, gamma, delta and so on.