The astronomical diary of the state weather bureau posted two astronomical events—the y-Normid meteor shower and the vernal equinox—that will be observed in the skies during the month of March.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the y-Normid meteor shower is active from February 25 to March 28, with its peak activity on March 14.
“Its radiant constellation Norma will rise above the southeastern horizon around 12 midnight, and therefore, this shower will be best observed when its radiance reaches its highest position in the sky around 5:00 am,” PAGASA stated.
The showers are observable through the naked eye, and viewing can be maximized by choosing a dark observation site. As a minor meteor shower, six meteors per hour are expected to be observed.
However, the presence of the waxing gibbous moon in the constellation Cancer presents a significant interference with the meteor shower observation until the moon sets in the west-northwest at 3:09 am.
The other astronomical event is the vernal equinox, or the March equinox, on March 20, which marks the beginning of the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere and the autumnal equinox in the southern hemisphere.
On March 20, the sun is directly pointing over the Earth’s equator, creating nearly equal day and night.
“During equinoxes, the day and night are each approximately 12 hours long as the sun is directly pointing over the Earth’s equator. And also, on this day, the sun exactly rises due east and exactly sets due west,” PAGASA added.
