I also hope that you were able to see the total lunar eclipse. I'd love to hear about your experiences and thoughts! February won't offer an eclipse, but there are always great things to see in the sky, especially if you have the proper equipment and can bundle up for the cold. This month will offer a trio of planetary early risers and the zodiacal light. A few of the normal monthly occurrences pass February by this year, such as a meteor shower and the full Moon. Maybe next year!
Mercury
Our innermost planet returns to the sky by the 17th where it will be found in the west after sunset. You will need an open view of the horizon to view it since it will lie low in the sky. Mercury will be joined by Venus as the month and year progresses.
Venus
Venus will also return to our skies but not until nearly the end of the month. It can be found in the west after sunset and should be very easy to spot since it shines so brightly. Going into March, Venus will increase its altitude in the west and be visible well after sunset.
Mars
The red planet will be one of the early risers this month. It can be found in the southeast before sunrise, in the constellation of Scorpius for the first week, before it moves on to the next constellation, Ophiuchus. On the 8th, the crescent Moon can be found between Jupiter and Mars. On the 10th, Antares will be found just 5° south of Mars. It might be fun to compare the colors of the two since Antares translates to "not Mars". Remember that stars twinkle and planets do not. Mars will appear to brighten and even get larger, especially when viewing through a telescope, as the month progresses. Mars is moving into position for its opposition later this year.
Jupiter
This gas giant planet will be the first planetary early riser this month. It should be easy to spot in the southeast sky before sunrise. It will rise just before 2 as the month starts off and by about midnight by months end. If you are brave enough to fight the cold mornings, a pair of binoculars will show you the four large moons of Jupiter. With a telescope, you will be able to see the cloud bands of this planet as well.
Saturn
Saturn returns to the morning sky on the 1st and will be the last planet to rise before the Sun. It will be the brightest object in the eastern sky before sunrise and should be easy to spot. By the end of the month, Saturn will be high enough in the sky to easily show its rings through a telescope. You may also catch a glimpse of Saturn's largest moon, Titan.
Uranus and Neptune
Our most distant planets will require a telescope or binoculars to view. They can both be found in the southwest after sunset and will be high enough in the sky for minimal atmospheric turbulence for the first week of the month. By months end, both planets will set about 2 hours earlier.
The Moon
As mentioned, there will not be a full Moon this month, since one occurred on the last day of January and the next will occur during the first week of March. That does not mean that you can't still enjoy our closest neighbor! The best times to view the Moon through binoculars or a telescope is during the in-between phases. During this time, you can see more detail along the terminator, the line between the light and dark parts of the Moon. A pair a binoculars are a quick and easy way to see this detail. The terminator line changes nightly, so be sure to look each night, or even during the day, for a different view!
Zodiacal Light
The zodiacal light is created by the scattering of sunlight by tiny dust particles which orbit the Sun. This phenomenon is more prominent during the beginning of spring and autumn. You will need a dark and clear sky to view the zodiacal light this month. The best times to try to catch a glimpse will be between the 2nd and the 16th when the Moon won't be found close the western horizon. Let me know if you see it!
Monthly Breakdown
February 08: The Moon will be found between Mars and Jupiter in the morning sky
February 10: Antares found 5° south of Mars
February 15: New Moon
News in Astronomy
In October of 2017, an interstellar asteroid was discovered. While interstellar asteroids or other similar visitors have been predicted for many years, this is the first of its kind that has actually been detected. This asteroid was discovered by the Pan-STARRS 1 survey telescope which is used to find and detect near Earth objects, or NEOs. Once this object was detected, many other telescopes were pointed in its direction, including Hubble, the Very Large Telescope in Chile, and the William Herschel Telescope in the Canary Islands. Much of the data from this object, which has been named A/2017 U1 or Oumuamua, is still being analyzed to learn more about this interstellar traveler.
Based on the data that has been examined, we know this object is from outside the solar system because of its trajectory. The angle at which it was approaching the Sun is much steeper than that of the planets or even the comets and asteroids that are residents here. Traveling at nearly 20 miles per second, Oumuamua has a velocity too great to be gravitationally bound to our solar system. It is thought that Oumuamua is left over debris from the forming of another system around a star, such as Vega, or just the remains of the formation of our galaxy.
Spectroscopy determined the makeup of Oumuamua to be a dense, metal-rich, rocky object. It is slightly red in color, perhaps from absorbing lots of cosmic rays. The age is unknown, but it's likely billions of years old. The shape of Oumuamua is believed to be long and cylindrical, like a cigar. It is tumbling end over end so it is hard to be certain.
There have even been radio observations to see if Oumuamua is transmitting radio signals, just in case it was made artificially. Of course none have been detected.
For more information or to stay updated on Oumuamua, you can visit Wikipedia's article HERE.
Be sure to check back next month to see what's going on in the world of astronomy!
Now get outside and look up!
