Scruton Sky at Night – March 2022

by Peter Williams

Whilst there is always something happening in the night skies, March will be relatively quiet from a viewing point. There have been sightings recently of the Northern Lights (Aurora) even in our area. However these are difficult to predict, which is a good reason for keeping an eye on the night sky. The Spring Equinox occurs on 20 March, which marks the start of Astronomical Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. British Summer Time begins on 27 March and the clocks go forward 1 hour, bringing lighter evenings.

There have been several significant space missions recently. It is now a year since NASA’s Perseverance rover landed on Mars, and some of the pictures sent back are amazing. The James Webb Telescope is now in position and undergoing final tests. The scientific data which it will send back should be fantastic!

Sky at Night will be taking a break over the summer months, but will hopefully return in the autumn. If anyone feels they would like to provide a regular or occasional article for Scruton News, please email me – Ed.