Star Almanack
Alexander Ferrari Miller

ISO 2025-W12

Week begins: Monday, March 17, 2025

Notation:

Calendar

DateZodiac dayEvents
Mon, Mar 17, 2025♓ 28
Tue, Mar 18, 2025♓ 29
M67 — Telescope 6 — Tropical Winter
Finest NGC 39 / NGC 2683 · UFO Galaxy — Telescope 10 — Northern Winter
Wed, Mar 19, 2025♓ 30
Finest NGC 38 / NGC 2655 · Arp 225 — Telescope 11 — Arctic Winter
Thu, Mar 20, 2025♈ 1
♈ Sun enters Aries · Vernal equinox · First Point of Aries · Ostara — 09:01:29 UTC
Acubens (α Cnc) — Binoculars 4 — Tropical Spring
Fri, Mar 21, 2025♈ 2
α Vol — Binoculars 4 — Southern Spring
Sat, Mar 22, 2025♈ 3
🌗 Last Quarter — 11:29:26 UTC
Sun, Mar 23, 2025♈ 4
Suhail (λ Vel) — Naked eye 2 — Southern Spring
C48 / NGC 2775 — Telescope 10 — Tropical Spring

Weekly Solar-System Ephemeris

Snapshot: Week begins March 17, 2025, 00:00 UTC.

(-90° to +90°; defaults +45°, 21:00 LAT)

Notation:
Body☉︎☽︎☿︎♀︎♂︎♃︎♄︎
Ecliptic♓︎ 26°39′
β −0°00′		♎︎ 26°18′
β −2°34′		♈︎ 9°23′
β +3°24′		♈︎ 6°20′
β +8°33′		♋︎ 19°28′
β +3°04′		♊︎ 13°54′
β −0°21′		♓︎ 22°40′
β −1°55′
ObservingNightNaked eye -11.8☉︎☉︎Naked eye 0.1Naked eye -2.2☉︎
Rise06:0120:3406:1105:3711:4209:2306:04
Set17:5906:5919:1219:0703:3400:4217:32

Extended targets:

Body⚳︎♅︎♆︎♇︎
Ecliptic♓︎ 8°11′
β −7°40′		♉︎ 24°08′
β −0°14′		♓︎ 29°29′
β −1°16′		♒︎ 3°16′
β −3°24′
Observing☉︎Binoculars 5.8☉︎TelescopeTelescope 14.5
Rise06:0508:1806:1504:14
Set16:0123:0118:1013:02

β = ecliptic latitude (+ north, − south).
Rise and set are Local Apparent Time for the selected latitude.
Naked-eye observing uses the Sun’s altitude at the selected Monday observer time: Daylight (Sun ≥ −0.833°), Civil twilight (−0.833° to −6°), Nautical twilight (−6° to −12°), Astronomical twilight (−12° to −18°), and Night (below −18°).
Solar Glare identifies a body too close to the Sun when the sky-state rule does not already supersede its naked-eye classification.
The Sun’s observing status uses this same five-state sky classification.

Notation:

Planet Finder

Planet Finder — Greek / Symbols
Greek / Symbols
Planet Finder — English
English
Planet Finder — Mixed Learner
Mixed Learner

Sky Notes

Kilroy: Sky Notes · generated 2026-10-23 06:21:45 UTC

View:

ISO 2025-W12 runs from March 17 through March 23. Mercury and Venus are separated by about 3.1° in geocentric ecliptic longitude at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Jupiter is about 4.1° in ecliptic longitude from Aldebaran in Taurus.

Naked eye: 🌗 Last Quarter — 11:29:26 UTC. Moderate moonlight makes timing and local sky position important for faint targets. Use Suhail as the week’s fixed-sky framework.

Suhail: A Prominent Star in the Southern Skies — Discover the characteristics and celestial significance of Suhail, a bright star in the constellation Velorum.

Planets: Moon: Naked eye; magnitude -11.8; direct motion; 93.4% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Mercury: In solar glare; magnitude 1.9; retrograde motion; 12.0% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Venus: In solar glare; magnitude -4.1; retrograde motion; 2.4% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Solar conjunction in ecliptic longitude Mar 23 01:07 UTC. Mars: Naked eye; magnitude 0.1; direct motion; 91.7% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Ceres: In solar glare; magnitude 9.2; direct motion; 99.7% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Jupiter: Naked eye; magnitude -2.2; direct motion; 99.1% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Saturn: In solar glare; magnitude 1.1; direct motion; 100.0% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Uranus: Binoculars; magnitude 5.8; direct motion; 100.0% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Neptune: In solar glare; magnitude 7.8; direct motion; 100.0% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Solar conjunction in ecliptic longitude Mar 19 23:25 UTC. Pluto: Substantial telescope; magnitude 14.5; direct motion; 100.0% illuminated. Below the horizon at 21:00 local apparent solar time, 45°N. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot.

Binoculars: Trace Cancer’s charted figure in the finder, then identify Acubens at its charted position. Trace Volans’s closed figure in the finder, then identify α Vol at its charted position.

Acubens: The Subtle Beacon of Cancer — An enduring guide in the night sky, offering insight into the constellation's character.

Alpha Vol: The Bright Beacon of the Volans Constellation — A luminous star serving as a key marker in the southern skies, Alpha Vol captivates astronomers and stargazers alike.

Small telescope: M67: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; UFO Galaxy: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; Arp 225: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; NGC 2775: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance

M67: The Ancient Open Cluster in Cancer — A detailed look at one of the oldest known open clusters in the galaxy, illuminating its significance and characteristics.

The UFO Galaxy: A Mysterious Beacon in Lyn’s Stars — An exploration of one of Lyn’s intriguing galaxies, its characteristics, and its place in our cosmic neighborhood.

Arp 225: A Mysterious Galaxy in Camelopardalis — Discover the intriguing features of Arp 225, a galaxy located in the constellation Camelopardalis, and learn about its place in the cosmic landscape.

Unveiling Caldwell 48: A Stellar Candidate in Cancer — An overview of the intriguing galaxy candidate, Caldwell 48, highlighting its significance and basic characteristics.

Substantial telescope: No fixed-sky Calendar object is classified as requiring a substantial telescope this week.

Other objects listed this week: None

Mercury

Mercury: in solar glare at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Rises 06:11; sets 19:12 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 1.9. The disk is 12.0% illuminated (crescent). It is 13.2° from the Sun, on its east side. Motion is retrograde at 0.237° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Fumalsamakah, 21.1° away. Mercury: 21.1° from Fumalsamakah in the Pathfinder.

Venus

Venus: in solar glare at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Rises 05:37; sets 19:07 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude -4.1. The disk is 2.4% illuminated (crescent). It is 12.9° from the Sun, on its east side. Motion is retrograde at 0.560° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Markab, 16.3° away. Solar conjunction in ecliptic longitude Mar 23 01:07 UTC. Venus: 16.3° from Markab in the Pathfinder.

Moon

Moon: naked eye at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 3.8° above the horizon. Rises 20:34; sets 06:59 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude -11.8. The disk is 93.4% illuminated (waning gibbous). It is 150.2° from the Sun, on its west side. Motion is direct at 11.829° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Spica, 2.2° away. Moon: 2.2° from Spica in the Pathfinder.

Mars

Mars: naked eye at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 64.2° above the horizon. Rises 11:42; sets 03:34 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 0.1. The disk is 91.7% illuminated (gibbous). It is 112.8° from the Sun, on its east side. Motion is direct at 0.219° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Pollux, 5.5° away. Mars: 5.5° from Pollux in the Pathfinder.

Jupiter

Jupiter: naked eye at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 36.8° above the horizon. Rises 09:23; sets 00:42 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude -2.2. The disk is 99.1% illuminated (nearly full). It is 77.3° from the Sun, on its east side. Motion is direct at 0.122° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Aldebaran, 6.3° away. Jupiter: 6.3° from Aldebaran in the Pathfinder.

Saturn

Saturn: in solar glare at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Rises 06:04; sets 17:32 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 1.1. The disk is 100.0% illuminated (nearly full). It is 4.4° from the Sun, on its west side. Motion is direct at 0.123° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Fumalsamakah, 11.6° away. Saturn: 11.6° from Fumalsamakah in the Pathfinder.

Uranus

Uranus: binoculars at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 19.8° above the horizon. Rises 08:18; sets 23:01 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 5.8. The disk is 100.0% illuminated (nearly full). It is 57.5° from the Sun, on its east side. Motion is direct at 0.037° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Menkar, 15.5° away. Uranus: 15.5° from Menkar in the Pathfinder.

Neptune

Neptune: in solar glare at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Rises 06:15; sets 18:10 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 7.8. The disk is 100.0% illuminated (nearly full). It is 3.1° from the Sun, on its east side. Motion is direct at 0.038° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Fumalsamakah, 14.7° away. Solar conjunction in ecliptic longitude Mar 19 23:25 UTC. Neptune: 14.7° from Fumalsamakah in the Pathfinder.

Ceres

Ceres: in solar glare at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Rises 06:05; sets 16:01 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 9.2. The disk is 99.7% illuminated (nearly full). It is 19.9° from the Sun, on its west side. Motion is direct at 0.385° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Fomalhaut, 14.0° away. Ceres: 14.0° from Fomalhaut in the Pathfinder.

Pluto

Pluto: substantial telescope at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 67.4° below the horizon. Rises 04:14; sets 13:02 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 14.5. The disk is 100.0% illuminated (nearly full). It is 53.4° from the Sun, on its west side. Motion is direct at 0.021° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Dabih, 8.1° away. Pluto: 8.1° from Dabih in the Pathfinder.