Cairo: Egypt will witness remarkable astronomical phenomena in March, including a lunar and solar eclipse, the start of spring, and several planetary and stellar conjunctions visible this month.

According to State Information Service Egypt, professor of Astronomy at the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG) Ashraf Tadros stated that the first astronomical event begins this evening, as the moon reaches its perigee, the point closest to Earth, about 362,000 km away. He explained that the perigee shifts monthly, and the moon is only considered “super” or “giant” when its distance from Earth is under 360,000 km. He also highlighted that tidal effects slightly increase during perigee.

The professor of Astronomy noted that tomorrow, Sunday, shortly after sunset, the moon will align with Venus, the brightest planet, while Mercury will appear near the western horizon below Venus, setting around 7:05 pm. He stated that on March 10, the moon will align with the Beehive star cluster in the Cancer constellation just after sunset.

He added that on March 12, the planets will align in opposition to the sun, fully illuminating Saturn, making it brighter than at any other time of the year. The astronomy professor explained that Saturn will appear as a yellow star to the naked eye, but its rings can be seen with a small telescope.