‘What is this life if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare,’ wrote English poet William Henry Davies. It’s probably the best time of the year to follow his advice “March has something called a Messier Marathon, which draws many stargazers. It is named after Charles Messier, who was a commet hunter,” shares Arvind Paranjpye, director, Nehru Planetarium. He adds that this is the time of the year when amateur astronomers try to find as many Messier objects as possible during one night. The Messier catalogue includes a set of over 100 astronomical objects that resembled comets but weren’t. Listed for the first time by Messier, these include galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters. “The number of Messier objects visible in any one night is always higher in March,” Paranjpye adds.

Days close to New Moon nights work best for stargazing. Any kind of bright lights hamper the experience, explains Pradeep Nayak, president, Khagol Mandal, an organisation for amateur astronomers. “For telescopic viewing, we cover torches with red cellophane paper, so that the bright light does not hit the eye. We do not allow flash photography with cameras or mobile phones either,” he says.