Just under Venus, find our blue planet’s other neighbor, the reddish Mars, which is +1.3 magnitude — just a little on the dim side, but it does brighten slightly by the end of March.

Low in the east-southeast part of the heavens, still before sunrise, the ringed giant Saturn along with the fleet Mercury conjunct March 2, visible along the horizon, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. These two planets may be very difficult to find here, but if you’re at an eastern beach or in a tall building, you may see them. While the speedy Mercury is -1.1 magnitude (bright), the larger Saturn is seen at +0.7, dim.

As March progresses, see Venus climb higher in the predawn, southeast heavens. By the third week, the trio of Venus, Mars and Saturn becomes a fun bunch.

Venus remains the brightest, and the three form a triangle by late March. Venus appears to move to closer to Saturn by March 27, while Saturn then seems to scoot between Venus (left) and Mars (right). Note that the elderly last-quarter moon scurries under all three planets on March 28. For March 29-31 mornings, the trio forms a short, loose line.

It’s that time: For Daylight Saving Time, move your clocks forward one hour on Sunday, March 13, at 2 a.m., according to the observatory. The evenings get lighter, but we’ll go through a spell of darker mornings. Daylight is expanding. March starts with 11 hours 20 minutes of sunlight and ends with 12 hours 36 minutes of day.

So long, winter. Astronomically speaking, winter turns into spring on March 20, at 11:33 a.m. Eastern time in the Northern Hemisphere, the observatory said. Welcome the vernal equinox with a smile and brunch.

Down-to-Earth Events:

• NPR’s Science Friday Book Club will read “The Sirens of Mars: Searching for Life on Another World,” by Sarah Stewart Johnson, the Provost’s Distinguished Associate Professor at Georgetown University. Together, with a nationwide reading group, get a deep understanding of our neighboring Red Planet. Engage with additional readings, podcasts and radio segments. The group is reading chapters 1 through 3 this week. For details, sciencefriday.com.
• Feb. 28 — “Unveiling the Nature of the Impossible Planets,” an online conversation with scientist Peter Gao of Carnegie Science, where he explains cotton candy-like planets called super-puffs that have large radii but low densities. Discussion is 3:30 p.m. To register and watch, go to CarnegieScience.edu and click the “events” portal.
• March 12 — “Bringing the Gravitational Wave Revolution to Space,” an online talk by researcher James Ira Thorpe of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. He will explain a new way to see space — the gravitational wave detector — which measures wrinkles in the cosmic fabric caused by cataclysms. The meeting is hosted by the National Capital Astronomers. The virtual Zoom doors open at 7 p.m. and the meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. For details, visit capitalastronomers.org.
• March 23 — “Planetary Magnetic Fields: Habitability, Generation and Detectability,” an online conversation with scientist Peter Driscoll of Carnegie Science. Find out how Earth’s magnetic field protects this planet and how it helps life. 3 p.m. To register and watch, go to CarnegieScience.edu and click the “events” portal.