Introduction
January ended with snow storms and cold temperatures over much of Utah. Sadly, the clouds prohibited the viewing of the passing comet and the conjunction between Venus and Saturn. I was, however, able to watch Venus and Saturn move closer each night after sunset as well as view Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars before clouds rolled in.
February will offer observers the chance to view the bright planets, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars. Venus and Jupiter will be easy to spot in the western and southern sky, respectfully, after sunset. Mars is also an easy target high in the eastern sky. Mars can still be found close by Aldebaran in Taurus and Betelgeuse in Orion. The highlight this month will be Comet ZTF which appeared in our skies in January. Read on for more details!
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| Mercury |
Mercury can be found in the morning sky just before sunrise during the first half of February. A one-day-old Moon will appear next to Mercury on the 18th. The best chance for viewing the innermost planet will be earlier in the month when it can be found rising above the Utah mountains about an hour before sunrise. As the month continues, Mercury will rise later, finding itself lost in the glow of the Sun.
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| Venus |
Venus will likely be the first point of light an observer will see after sunset. This planet will shine brightly at -3.9 magnitude during February. Venus will climb higher in the sky each evening while Jupiter sinks closer to the horizon. This pair of planets won't reach each other until March but will be close towards the end of the month. The nearly New Moon will be found just below Venus on the 21st. Neptune will also be found close to Venus this month, with their closest approach occurring on the 14th. At this time, the distance between these two planets in our sky will be the width of the Full Moon. An observer will need dark skies and a pair of binoculars to view the most distant planet.
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| Mars |
Mars has moved away from the Earth in its orbit and as such, has begun to dim and lose its surface detail through a telescope. The Red Planet will still outshine the nearby stars in Taurus and can be used to find some binocular and telescope-worthy targets this month. The first, and probably easier target, is the Pleiades (M45) which can be found just 10° to the right of Mars during the first evening of February. As the month continues, Mars will slowly move eastward, creating a larger distance between it and M45. The second target this month is a visitor from the Oort Cloud. Comet ZTF can be found close to Mars on February 10th and 11th. The days before the 10th, Comet ZTF can be found approaching Mars from the northeast. After the 11th, comet ZTF will continue its trek toward the southwest.
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| Jupiter |
Jupiter is sinking closer to the western horizon and will soon be lost from view. In the meantime, however, this gas giant is a great target for binoculars and telescopes alike. As mentioned, Jupiter will sink closer to the western horizon as Venus moves further away. The two will nearly reach other by the end of February, but their true conjunction won't occur until March. A nearly New Moon will join Jupiter on the 22nd.
Saturn will have a short life in February. The Ringed Planet can be found hugging the western horizon shortly after sunset. By the 16th, Saturn will reach its conjunction with the Sun and be lost from view until March, when it returns to the morning sky.
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| Neptune |
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| Uranus |
The two outermost planets can be viewed through a pair of binoculars but will look their best through a telescope. Uranus will continue to be found in Aries this month. An observer can view this planet by going to a dark sky site and using a pair of binoculars or a larger instrument. The Moon will be found below Uranus on the 24th and above a day later on the 25th.
Neptune can be found by using Venus as a guide. On the 14th, the pair of planets can be found about the width of a Full Moon apart. The most distant planet will be just to the northeast of Venus and can be seen by using a pair of binoculars at a dark sky location. Neptune will sink closer to the western horizon, making it a difficult target in late February. The thin crescent Moon will join Neptune in the sky on the 21st.
Comet Watch and the Zodiacal Light
February does not offer a major meteor shower but will bring a comet and the Zodiacal Light. Comet ZTF, last seen in Earth's skies roughly 50,000 years ago, can be seen by the naked eye if an observer can travel to a dark sky location. Comet ZTF can be found near Mars on the 10th and 11th and near Aldebaran in Taurus on the 14th. This comet will appear brighter at the beginning of the month and will dim with each passing day, so don't wait until the end of the month! I am hoping to capture some pictures of Comet ZTF during the first or second weekend in February. It will be a battle with a nearly Full Moon on both of those weekends, however.
Observers may also catch the Zodiacal Light this month. this dim light can be found rising above the western horizon after sunset. The best time to view the Zodiacal Light will be on the 11th. Like the comet, observers should get to a dark sky location, free of most if not all light pollution, to view the Zodiacal Light.
Spot Me....🕵️
In the first part of February, observers should focus on Canis Major, home of the brightest star in the sky, Sirius. Below is an image from Stellarium of what the night sky will look like, facing towards the southeast, during the first part of February shortly after sunset.
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| The night sky as an observer faces south/southeast after sunset. Notice the bright star, Sirius. |
Below is the same image as above only with constellation lines and labels to help observers orient themselves with the sky.
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| Canis Major and the surrounding constellations. |
Canis Major houses only one Messier Object, M41 (aka Little Beehive Cluster, NGC 2287). Like the Beehive Cluster (M44) in Cancer the Crab, the Little Beehive Cluster is an open star cluster. The Little Beehive Cluster can be found by first locating Sirius with your binoculars or telescope. After finding the brightest star in your field of view, move your scope toward the center of the body of Canis Major. Located at about the location of a heart in a real dog, an observer can find M41. See the images below for the location of M41.
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| Location of M41 in Canis Major. |
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| Location of M41 in Canis Major with constellation lines and labels. |
The images in the "Spot Me..." section are provided by Stellarium, a free planetarium software. Here is an updated file of the Messier Catalog. Please check back around the 15th of February for a new post highlighting the Messier objects that can be found in Puppis!
Monthly Breakdown
February 05: Full Moon 🌕
February 10: Comet ZTF northeast of Mars
February 11: Comet ZTF southeast of Mars
February 11: Zodiacal Light opportunity
February 13: Last Quarter Moon🌗
February 14: Venus passes within 1° of Neptune
February 16: Saturn and Sun conjunction
February 18: Moon passes within 4° of Mercury
February 20: New Moon 🌑
February 21: Moon passes within 2° of Neptune
February 21: Moon passes within 2° of Venus
February 22: Moon passes within 2° of Jupiter
February 25: Moon passes within 2° of Uranus
February 27: First Quarter Moon 🌓
February 27: Moon passes within 1° of Mars
Remember to follow me on Instagram @CosmicLure01 to receive notifications for new posts. You may also follow me on Twitter @CosmicLure.
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| Now get outside and look up! |
Planet images were taken by NASA.
Andrew vs. the Cosmos was taken by Jeff Greenland.
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