Bootleg Astronomers

The Bootleg Star Party Registration Form is available SOON (pre-registration deadline is TBD, 2026) 12th)

*** Due to the number of people doing imaging at the Bootleg Star Parties, Bootleg Management is indicating that Green Lasers will not be permitted starting one hour after sunset ***

2	Moon near Regulus at 11h UT (evening sky). Lunar occultation visible from eastern Russia, eastern China, Mongolia and Japan. • Lunar occultation of Regulus (In-the-Sky)
3	Total Lunar Eclipse begins at 11:04 UT and ends at 12:03 UT. Greatest eclipse at 11:34 UT. Partial phases begin at 9:50 UT and end at 13:17 UT. During totality, when the Moon is fully within the Earth's shadow, the Moon will appear red-orange in color. This is the color of all the sunsets and sunrises in Earth's atmosphere being projected onto the Moon's Earth-facing side. The total eclipse will be visible from east Asia, Australia, the Pacific and the Americas. • NASA Lunar Eclipses: 2021-2030 (NASA) • Total Lunar Eclipse of 2026 March 3 (PDF) (NASA)
3	Full Moon at 11:38 UT.
6	Moon near Spica at 17h UT (morning sky).
7	Mercury at inferior conjunction with the Sun at 11h UT. The innermost planet passes into the morning sky.
7	Venus 0.07° N of Neptune at 12h UT (14° from Sun, evening sky). Mags. −3.9 and 8.0.
8	Venus 0.9° NNW of Saturn at 14h UT (15° from Sun, evening sky). Mags. −3.9 and 1.0.
10	Moon near Antares at 10h UT (morning sky). Occultation visible from New Zealand and Antarctica. • Lunar occultation of Antares (In-the-Sky)
10	Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth) at 14h UT (distance 404,384km; angular size 29.5').
11	Last Quarter Moon at 9:40 UT.
11	Moon at southernmost declination (−28.4°) in 2026 at 21h UT.
13	Jupiter at northernmost declination (22.9°) at 12h UT.
15	Mercury 3.4° NNW of Mars at 20h UT (16° from Sun, morning sky). Mags. 2.2 and 1.2.
17	Moon, Mercury and the Mars within 4.0° circle at 14h UT (morning sky). Mags. 1.7 and 1.2.
17	Moon near Mercury at 17h UT (18° from Sun, morning sky). Mag. 1.7.
17	Moon near Mars at 21h UT (15° from Sun, morning sky). Mag. 1.2.
19	New Moon at 1:25 UT. Start of lunation 1277.
20	Moon near Venus at 10h UT (18° from Sun, evening sky). Mag. −3.9.
20	Vernal equinox at 14:45 UT. The time when the Sun reaches the point along the ecliptic where it crosses into the northern celestial hemisphere marking the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. • Vernal Equinox (Wikipedia)
22	Neptune at conjunction with the Sun at 11h UT. Neptune passes into the morning sky.
22	Moon at perigee (closest to Earth) at 11:43 UT (distance 366,857km; angular size 32.6').
23	Moon, Uranus and the Pleiades within 5.3° circle at 6h UT (evening sky). Mag. 5.8.
23	Moon near the Pleiades at 10h UT (evening sky).
25	Saturn at conjunction with the Sun at 9h UT. The ringed planet (not visible) passes into the morning sky.
25	Moon near M35 Cluster at 16h UT (evening sky).
25	First Quarter Moon at 19:18 UT.
26	Moon near Jupiter at 14h UT (evening sky). Mag. −2.3.
26	Moon near Castor at 22h UT (evening sky).
27	Moon near Pollux at 3h UT (evening sky).
28	Moon near Beehive Cluster (M44) at 5h UT (evening sky).
29	Moon near Regulus at 18h UT (evening sky). Occultation visible from parts of Asia, Africa, Europe and western Russia. • Lunar occultation of Regulus (In-the-Sky)

>>> All times Universal Time (UT). USA Central Standard Time = UT-6 hours. (DST = UT-5 hrs,)

Zodiacal Light is caused by sunlight reflected off meteoric dust in the plane of the solar system. Choose a clear, moonless night, about 1-2 hours after sunset, and look for a large triangular-shaped glow extending up from the horizon (along the ecliptic). The best months to view the Zodiacal Light is when the ecliptic is almost vertical at the horizon: March and April (evening) and October-November (morning); times reversed for the southern hemisphere.
• Zodiacal Light (Wikipedia)
• Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD)
• Photographing the Zodiacal Light (Weatherscapes)