Monthly Night Sky Report: February 2022

 Introduction

    January was a cold month for stargazing and astrophotography. I was looking forward to venturing out with my astrophotography gear during the last weekend of the month, but the notorious Utah inversion ruined that opportunity. I was able to watch Venus rise over the mountains before the Sun for the second half of the month, however. I was also able to watch the Moon change phases throughout the month during the clear evenings and mornings. Jupiter was an easy eye-catcher in the early evening sky as well.   

    The second month of 2022 is already among us! February will bring a slow and mild warm-up to Utahns. It will likely remain much too cold for many stargazers to take their expensive telescopes outdoors but will hopefully offer a few evenings to view some of the brighter objects of the night sky. Venus will continue to shine brightly as the morning star and will reach its peak brightness this month. By the end of the month, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Saturn will all be visible before sunrise. In my opinion, the highlight for February will be the chance to see the zodiacal light shortly after sunset. Continue reading to find out more about these events!

             

Mercury

    Mercury will rise about an hour before the Sun on the first morning of the month. This tiny planet will rise earlier each morning until the 15th when it reaches its greatest western elongation. On the last day of the month, a thin crescent Moon, only 6% lit, will be found close to Mercury. The early risers may also notice Saturn approaching Mercury by the end of the month. In March, this duo will have an early morning conjunction.  

  

Venus

    Venus will be hard to miss in the morning sky this month. Our sister planet will reach its highest magnitude during the first half of the month, shining at -4.9. This may even be bright enough to see in daylight! Venus and the Earth are at a point in their orbits that bring them close together, allowing Venus to look brighter in our sky. Venus will rise shortly after Mars in the morning sky, but by the end of the first week of February, the pair will rise at nearly the same time. The Moon will be found below this pair of planets on the 27th.

    

Mars

    Mars will continue to be found in the morning sky before the brilliance of the Sun overtakes its orangish glow. The Red Planet may be hard to spot next to the brightness of Venus, but after your eyes adjust, you should be able to spot it. As mentioned, the Moon will join Venus and Mars in the sky on the 27th. Observers that are willing to brave the cold should use a pair of binoculars to view Mars during the early part of the month. With a pair of binoculars, the observer should be able to see M22, the Great Sagittarius Cluster, slightly below Mars. This cluster is also known as the Crackerjack Cluster. Mars will climb higher in the sky each month and will reach opposition later this year.

Jupiter

Saturn

    Jupiter will be easy to spot after sunset for the first half of February. Each evening, however, will find Jupiter sinking closer to the Sun as the pair reach conjunction. Jupiter will return to the morning sky in March. On the 2nd of this month, the thin crescent Moon, which will be just 4% lit, can be found to the lower left of Jupiter. An observer may enjoy taking their binoculars out this evening to view the Moon and the Galilean Moons of Jupiter.  

    Saturn will be hard to spot this month as it reaches conjunction with the Sun on the 4th. By the end of the month, you might be able to spot the ringed world close to Mercury in the morning sky.  

    Like Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will reach opposition later this year so have your gear ready for viewing this trio of planets!  

   

Neptune

Uranus

    

    The outer two planets are best viewed through a telescope but can still be seen through a pair of binoculars.  Uranus can be found high in the constellation of Aries the Ram throughout the month. This ice giant will set around midnight at the beginning of the month and nearly two hours earlier by the month's end. The Moon can be found to the upper left of Uranus on the 7th. 

    Neptune can be found following Jupiter in the evening sky. This most distant planet will sink below the horizon just 3 hours after the Sun. By the end of the month, this time will shorten to only one hour after sunset. The Moon can be found to the left of Neptune on the 3rd. 

Zodiacal Light 

    This year started off with a great meteor shower, for those able to witness it. Unfortunately, February will not offer any major meteor showers, but observers may still catch up to seven background meteors per hour if they are able to get away from all sources of light pollution. However, observers this month will be able to view the zodiacal light shortly after sunset. This light is created by sunlight reflecting off of tiny dust particles floating around the solar system. Observers will want to get away from all sources of light pollution, including any light from the Moon, for a chance to view the zodiacal light as it is quite dim. This light will shine from the western horizon up toward the Pleiades and Taurus the Bull. I recommend taking your astrophotography gear with you since a camera is able to suck in more light than your eyes. Hopefully, by doing so, you can capture a great image of the zodiacal light! 

Spot Me....🕵️  

    I've had you try to spot quite a few different objects in the night sky, most of which require a telescope. As the cold temperatures continue, I will again ask that you try to view some easy targets this month. I encourage you to again view Jupiter before it gets lost in the bright glow of the Sun. A great date to view this giant planet would be on the 2nd when the Moon can be found close by. As mentioned, you should also use a pair of binoculars to view the Galilean Moons. If you are bundled up and still warm, you should also view the Pleiades again. They are one of my favorite objects through binoculars.

    I also encourage you to view the zodiacal light. remember to get away from all sources of light pollution, including the Moon. You should be able to detect the glow from the zodiacal light about an hour after sunset. This light will stretch from the western horizon up towards the zenith where the Pleiades and Taurus the Bull reside. 

Monthly Breakdown

February 01:  New Moon 🌑

February 02:  Moon passes within 4° of Jupiter

February 03:  Moon passes within 4° of Neptune

February 04:  Saturn in conjunction with the Sun

February 07:  Moon passes within 2° of Uranus

February 08:  First Quarter Moon 🌓

February 12:  Venus shines at magnitude -4.9

February 12:  Venus and Mars within 7°

February 16:  Full Moon 🌕 

February 16:  Greatest Western Elongation of Mercury

February 23:  Last Quarter Moon 🌗

February 27:  Moon passes within 9° of Venus

February 27:  Moon passes within 4° of Mars

February 28:  Moon passes within 4° of Mercury

February 28:  Moon passes within 4° of Saturn

       

    Remember to follow me on Instagram @CosmicLure01 to receive notifications for new posts.  You may also follow me on Twitter @CosmicLure.  

    

Now get outside and look up!

Planet images were taken by NASA.

Andrew vs. the Cosmos was taken by Jeff Greenland.

    

Midmonth Check-In: January 2022 and James Webb Space Telescope

 

Introduction and Monthly Reminders   

    

    It came as no surprise when the clouds rolled in on the evening and morning of the peak date for the Quadrantid meteor shower. I have almost, but not quite, learned to expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised when the weather cooperates and allows me to observe when I want to. On a more positive note, I have enjoyed looking at Jupiter and Saturn in the early evening sky before they sink below the horizon. During a few clear and early mornings, I have been able to see Mars and Antares in close proximity. Observing this pair in the morning sky has hyped me up for some telescope observations this year!

    In my opinion, the most exciting astronomical event has already occurred this month with the Quadrantids. For the Moon observers, we still have the Full Moon occurring on the 17th. There are also close approaches of the Moon and the morning planets, Mars, Venus, and Mercury to look forward to on the 29th and 30th. The 29th will have have the Moon, Mars, and Venus in close proximity and then Mercury on the following morning.  

Think About This....💡

    

    In case you missed it, the James Webb Space Telescope was successfully launched! It has also successfully deployed its sunshield. As of this writing, JWST is still on its way to its final destination, a point known as Lagrange point 2 or simply, L2. This is an area in space where the gravitational pull of the Sun and the Earth cancel each other out and provide a stable area for an object to float. This point is located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun. L2, the new home for JWST, is about a million miles from where the telescope began its journey here on Earth. The JWST is nearly 85% to its final destination at L2. This distance is about 4 times as far as the orbit of the Moon. 

    

    The JWST is currently deploying its 18 individual mirrors that will make up its primary mirror. After all 18 mirrors are out, they will be aligned which NASA expects to take about three months. The Hubble Space Telescope uses a single mirror that is 2.4 meters (approximately 7.8 feet) in diameter. Each mirror segment of the JWST is smaller, measuring just 1.3 meters (approximately 4.3 feet) in diameter. However, when the 18 mirrors of the JWST are combined, they will create a single mirror that is roughly 6.5 meters (21.3 feet) in diameter. Creating many smaller mirrors is less expensive and easier to make instead of a single large mirror. This telescope should be able to reveal parts of the universe which have, so far, gone undetected. I'm excited for the new discoveries that will be made! Hopefully everything will continue to go smoothly with the JWST or if there are any issues, the engineers at NASA will be able to find a solution. 

Remember to follow me on Instagram @CosmicLure01 to receive notifications for new posts.  You may also follow me on Twitter @CosmicLure.  

    

Now get outside and look up!