March 24 - Cherry Blossom

Sakura or Cherry Blossom - is the Japanese name for ornamental cherry trees, Prunus serrulata, and their blossoms. Japan gave 3,000 sakura as a gift to the United States in 1912 to celebrate the nations' then-growing friendship. These trees have since lined the shore of the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., and the gift was renewed with another 3,800 trees in 1956. The sakura trees continue to be a popular tourist attraction (and the subject of the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival) when they reach full bloom in early spring.

March 21 - Spring Equinox

Vernal Equinox - At exactly 00:07 UT early this morning, the Sun was directly over the Earth's equator. This is the exact moment when Spring began.

Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is a high-precision atomic time standard. UTC has uniform seconds defined by International Atomic Time (TAI), with leap seconds announced at irregular intervals to compensate for the earth's slowing rotation and other discrepancies. Leap seconds allow UTC to closely track Universal Time (UT), a time standard based not on the uniform passage of seconds, but on Earth's angular rotation.

DaylightVenusMoon - Venus is such a bright planet that it can be seen in the day on March 21, with the crescent Moon. Shield your eyes from the Sun, find the crescent Moon, and Venus will be close to the Moon. These two celestial bodies will be together at sunset today.

March 17 - St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day - celebrated worldwide by Irish people and increasingly by many of non-Irish descent (Usually in the US and Ireland) hence the phrase "Every one is Irish on St. Patrick's day". Celebrations are generally themed around all things green and Irish; both Christians and non-Christians celebrate the secular version of the holiday by wearing green, eating Irish food, imbibing Irish drink, and attending parades.

Each year on the Saturday before March 17, the Chicago river runs emerald green in celebration of this annual holiday. The dye used is actually "orange" in color, but when mixed with the natural color of the river it becomes almost fluorescent green for several hours.

Saint Patrick's Day, colloquially Paddy's Day or St. Patty's Day, is the feast day which annually celebrates Saint Patrick (373-493), the patron saint of Ireland, on March 17.

March 15 - Bird Songs

Bird songs are certain vocal sounds that birds make—in non-technical use, those sounds that are melodious to the human ear. In ornithology, bird 'songs' are often distinguished from shorter sounds, which may be termed 'calls'.

Winter silence ends when overwintering birds stake out nesting and mating areas.

Buds Break - At 44 degrees Fahrenheit, buds begin to erupt from branches and burst into flower clusters.

March 12 - Photoperiod

Photoperiod - Increasing amounts of daylight affect hormonal and other chemical reactions in animals and plants.

Rapidly Increasing Daylight - The rate of increase in daylight is greatest near the vernal equinox, when each day gains about three more minutes of light. Near the solstices, each day's (and night's) length is almost the same.

March 8 - Taurus

Taurus - One of the constellations in the zodiac. It sits large and prominent in the winter sky, between Aries to the west and Gemini to the east; to the north lie Perseus and Auriga, to the southeast Orion, and to the southwest Eridanus and Cetus.

One of the few first magnitude stars in the sky, the bright red Aldebaran, sits in the middle of this constellation. Aldebaran, a red/orange supergiant has an apparent magnitude .85

In the east of the constellation lies one of the best known open clusters, easily visible to the eye, the Pleiades. It is the brightest star cluster visible from Earth, and is comparatively young and has many blue stars.

March 3 - Worm Moon Eclipse

Lunar Eclipse - A full moon is the only time when a lunar eclipse is possible. At this time, it is possible under certain circumstances for the Moon to move through the shadow cast by the Earth. A lunar eclipse for the March full moon (Worm Moon) will peak on March 3; it can be seen from Europe, Africa, western Asia, and the eastern Americas.