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It's the 365 days of Astronomy Hot Gap, coming in 3, 2, 1.
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Welcome to the 365 days of Astronomy, I'm Avivai your host.
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Today let's explore what happened and what's still coming
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in the March 2026 sky for Equatorial Sky.
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The headline event this month was the total lunar eclipse on March 3rd.
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The first lunar eclipse of 2026 and the last total lunar eclipse we'll see
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until the end of 2028.
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This eclipse was visible across a huge swat of the globe.
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Observers in Eastern Asia including Japan, Eastern China, South Korea
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and all of the Saudis Asia had excellent evening views.
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Australia and New Zealand saw the entire eclipse from start to finish.
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Across the Pacific, Western North America, from Alaska down through the Western
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United States and into Western Canada, Kafti eclipse in the early morning hours before
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The Eastern United States saw at least the beginning of totality,
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though the moon was setting during the event.
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Parts of Central and Western South America also cough portions of the eclipse.
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However, the eclipse was not visible at all from Europe, Africa or Western Asia.
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The moon was simply below the horizon during the entire event for those regions.
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Here in Indonesia, the eclipse was visible across the entire country.
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What made this one unique for Indonesian observer was the timing.
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Indonesia has three times only.
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The eclipse was already underway when the moon rose.
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The phenomenal face started at 3.44 pm Western Indonesian time,
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UTC plus 7, well before Moon rise for most of the country.
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By 6.04 pm, totality had begun.
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The observers in Western Indonesia saw the moon rise already glowing that deep copper erupt.
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Maximum eclipse was at 6.33 pm and totality lasted about 58 minutes.
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For those in Eastern Indonesia, UTC plus 9.
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The moon was up earlier, so they could follow the eclipse from the partial face onward.
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Central Indonesian observers, they have UTC plus 8, cough the moon rising mid-partial eclipse.
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Unfortunately, for observers in some part of Indonesia, particularly in Java and other Western region,
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have a cloud cover rolled in right around Moon rise and blocked the field during totality.
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A real disappointment for many who had been waiting for this event.
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But that's the reality of ground-based astronomy, sometimes, weather winds.
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Phines was the evening star of the month, brilliant in the west after sunset,
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setting about an hour after the sun.
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On March 8, Phines had a stunning close encounter with Saturn,
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just half a degree apart in the twilight.
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Saturn itself faded into the sun's glare by mid-month.
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Jupiter was reliable companion in Gemini,
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feasible until past mid-Mip.
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It paired beautifully with the moon on March 26.
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Now Mercury and Mars appeared in the Predone sky around mid-March.
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On March 15, the two planets were just 3.5 degrees apart.
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Three days later, on March 18, a thin crescent moon joined them
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to form a lovely triangle before sunrise,
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though all three were quiet low and challenging to spot.
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A few more pairing words mentioning on March 2.
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The nearly full moon set just three quarters of a degree from Regulus in Leo.
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On March 20, a riser thin crescent moon met Phines in the evening,
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just one day after New Moon.
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And on March 23, the moon glided positively at a star cluster,
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separated by only 1.5 degrees.
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March 20 also brought the equinox.
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The sun crossed the solar steel equator at 9.45 pm.
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Western Indonesian time, again UTC plus 7.
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Day and night were roughly equal at 12 hours each.
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Spring began in the northern hemisphere, autumn in the south.
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Finally, to campaign this month.
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The globe at night campaigned from March 10 to 19,
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invited everyone to come stars and major light pollutions.
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Observer in the northern hemisphere can observe the constellations
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Orion and Leo, while those in the southern hemisphere can observe
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Canismeyer constellations.
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Observations will be held from 8 pm to 10 pm local time.
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Check globeat9.org to participate.
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And at hour on March 28, encourage people to switch off lights
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from 8.30 to 9.30 pm.
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A great chance to notice how much more stars you can see
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when the lights go out.
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And at your March 2026 Equatorial Sky report.
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Even when clouds told eclipse from some of us,
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there was still plenty to enjoy,
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from planetary pairings to dark skies during New Moon.
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Step outside, look up and enjoy the universe.
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Thank you for listening this is 365 Days of Astronomy.
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You are listening to the 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast.
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The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute.
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Audio post production is by me, Richard Drum.
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Project management is by Aviva Yamani, and hosting is donated by Libsyn.com.
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As we wrap up today's episode,
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we're looking forward to unraveling more stories from the universe.
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With every new discovery from ground-based and space-based observatories
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and each milestone and space exploration,
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we come closer to understanding the cosmos and our place within it.
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Until next time, let the stars guide your curiosity.