Just beware the moons of March as you gaze at the sky

Two astronomical events happen in the next two weeks, which will be of great interest to readers.

And there is no one better equipped to explain them than Dr Derek Fish, director of the Unizulu Science Centre.

“On Friday, 14 March, a beautiful full moon will rise over the ocean – for those of us on the east coast – at 6.19pm, almost exactly due east, just minutes after the sun sets almost due west.

“There is a lunar eclipse on the date, when the moon passes into the shadow of the earth, but sadly visible only from the Americas and not from Africa.

“The full eclipse turns the moon a beautiful blood red as the sun’s rays are bent around the earth’s atmosphere, much like at sunrise or sunset,” said Dr Fish.

The second significant event is on Thursday, 20 March when the sun crosses the equator from south to north, signalling the end of summer and the start of autumn in the southern hemisphere.

“Zululanders breathe a sigh of relief with the promise of cooler weather, while those in the northern hemisphere look forward to some sunshine as winter changes into spring.

“All around the world, day and night are both 12 hours long, ‘equinox’ meaning ‘equal-night’.

“Our longest day in Zululand is the solstice on 21 December, when we have 14 hours of daylight, and our shortest is 21 June, when we have just 10.”

• Dr Fish will be giving free, family-friendly talks on both of these events at Nook Bistro in Mtunzini – with the best sky view in town: Friday, 14 March from 6pm for the full moon, and Thursday, 20 March at 7pm for the equinox.

“Bring all your lunar or loony questions as I unravel the marvellous mysteries of our moon and the excitement of the equinox,” says his invitation.

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