SKYWATCHER'S DIARY: February 1995

TO THE READER:

Sky Calendar
Abrams Planetarium
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824.

This month's most striking sights, involving the moon passing near planets and bright stars, occur on the evenings of February 1, 8, 12, 14 and 15, and the mornings of February 15, 19, 23, 25, 26, and 27. Morning events are mentioned in Skywatcher's Diary one day prior to the event.

**Moonwatch: A call for observations on Tuesday, January 31 and Tuesday, February 28**

The entire country except Alaska is in good position to view the very slender young crescent of Jan. 31, but observers in the southern U.S. are favored for viewing the very thin old crescent on the last possible date of this lunar cycle, the morning of Feb. 28. Still, it'll be also worth a try from the northern U.S. as well. Watch for moonrise that morning, and try to follow the moon for as long as possible, even until sunrise if you can. Note your location, the sky conditions, and the date and time you last see the moon, with unaided eye, and with optical aid. From mid-Michigan half an hour before sunup on February 28, the moon will be 24 hours before New.

Anyone who sees the moon both on January 31 at dusk and on February 28 at dawn will have observed the moon at the beginning and end of an unusually long lunar month. If you succeed in doing so, please write up the details of your observations and send them to: Jan-Feb Moonwatch, c/o Robert Victor, Abrams Planetarium, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824.

Wednesday, February 1

The waxing crescent moon is low in the WSW at dusk and is about to slide past Saturn, now 6 degrees to moon's upper left. Yellowish Saturn sinks into the twilight glow after midmonth, so look soon! A telescope shows the ring system, currently tipped just over 5 degrees from edge-on.

Thursday, February 2

An hour after sunset the moon is well up in the WSW. Yellowish Saturn is 11 degrees below the crescent. Half an hour later look low in the ENE for ruddy Mars with Regulus, the heart of Leo the lion, rising 5 degrees to its lower right. [more]

Also on Thursday, February 2

For advanced skywatchers: Use binoculars and the finder chart on page 78 of February Sky & Telescope to locate the 7th-magnitude minor planet (asteroid) Ceres, 16 degrees upper left of Mars and 8 degrees above the 3rd- and 4th-magnitude stars Epsilon and Mu in Leo, at the tip of the Sickle's blade.

Friday, February 3

Look low in the W at dawn Saturday for Mars with Regulus 6 degrees to its lower left. Look SE for the brilliant morning "star" Venus. Bright Jupiter is in SSE, 19 degrees upper right of Venus, while reddish Antares twinkles 5 degrees lower right of Jupiter.

Saturday, February 4

Look for the Red Planet Mars well up in E about 3 hours after sunset. At the end of next week, Mars will be closest to earth, 63 million miles. For the next two weeks, Mars shines at greatest brilliance, magnitude -1.2. Compare Mars' brightness to that of Sirius, the brightest star. Look for Sirius well up in SSE 3 hours after sundown. Which is brighter?

Sunday, February 5

An hour after sunset the moon is high in the SW. The two brightest stars of Aries the Ram, 2nd-magnitude Hamal and 3rd-magnitude Sharatan, shine 4 degrees apart, above the moon.

Monday, February 6

Shortly after sunset the moon, approaching First Quarter, is high in the south. Use binoculars or a telescope to scan the mountains and craters along the moon's terminator, or day-night boundary. Tonight the Caucaucus Mountains are right on the terminator and cast long shadows, and tomorrow the Apennine Mountains, the Alpine Valley, and the trio of craters Arzachel, Alphonsus, and Ptolemaeus will be in fine view.

Tuesday, February 7

Look for the moon near First Quarter phase (half full), low in the ENE to E at midday. Look high in S an hour after sundown to see the moon closing on reddish Aldebaran, 16 degrees to the moon's left. Binoculars give a fine view of the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters, 8 degrees to moon's upper left. Look again in 10 days, when the moon rises late enough in the evening to allow very dark skies.

Wednesday, February 8

The waxing gibbous moon is high in the SSE at dusk with ruddy Aldebaran 5 degrees to its lower left. Aldebaran marks the fiery eye of Taurus the bull. The nearby V-shaped Hyades star cluster represents the head of Taurus. Use binoculars to pick out these stars in the lunar glare, between Aldebaran and the moon tonight.

Thursday, February 9

At dusk the moon is high in the SE and has passed Aldebaran; the star now shines 8 degrees to the right of the moon. An hour before sunup these mornings, Venus is very low in the SE, above the Teapot of Sagittarius.

Friday, February 10

Keep watching for disappearing Saturn for about another week, very low in the WSW at dusk. On what date will you last see this planet until it sinks into the bright twilight glow?

Saturday, February 11

An hour after sunset the moon is in the ESE with the Gemini Twins, Castor and slightly brighter Pollux, to its left. Procyon, the Little Dog Star, shines 17 degrees below the moon. Mars, shining brilliantly low in ENE, is 63 million miles from Earth tonight and won't be as close again until 1997.

Sunday, February 12

The waxing gibbous moon is in the E to ESE an hour after sundown and stands directly between Procyon, to the moon's lower right, and Pollux, to moon's upper left.

Monday, February 13

The moon is in the E at dusk. Procyon, the Little Dog Star, twinkles 16 degrees to moon's upper right. Mars, shining with a steady reddish light, is 18 degrees to moon's lower left.

Tuesday, February 14

The moon, approaching Full, is in E at dusk with ruddy Mars 10 degrees to its upper left. Regulus, the heart of Leo the Lion, is 11 degrees lower left of the moon and 9 degrees below Mars. The three bodoes keep company all night: At dawn Wednesday the Full moon is very low in W to WNW with Regulus 7 degrees above. Mars is then 11 degrees upper right of the Snow Moon.

Wednesday, February 15

The moon is past Full and already risen in the E an hour after sundown. Look for a bluish first-magnitude star 7 degrees upper left of the moon. This is Regulus, in Leo. Bright Mars is 16 degrees to the moon's upper left.

Thursday, February 16

Two hours after sunset the moon is rising in the E, with bluish first-magnitude Regulus 19 degrees above. Bright ruddy Mars is another 10 degrees above Regulus.

Friday, February 17

An hour before sunrise Saturday brilliant Venus is low in the SE with elusive Mercury just rising in ESE, 20 degrees to Venus' lower left. Bright Jupiter is in SSE, 33 degrees upper right of Venus. All three planets lie in a straight line.

Saturday, February 18

An hour before sunrise Sunday morning the waning gibbous moon approaches first magnitude Spica in the SW. The pair is separated by just 3 degrees! The moon moves eastward against the background stars by an average of 13 degrees each day. Can you guess where the moon will appear at the same hour on Monday morning?

Sunday, February 19

At dawn Monday the moon is in the SSW to SW and has overtaken Spica. Look for the star 11 degrees lower right of moon. Spica marks the ear of wheat in the hand of Virgo.

Monday, February 20

An hour after sunset the familiar constellation Orion is well up in SSE. Betelgeuse marks the right shoulder of the Hunter, three bright stars in a row form Orion's belt, and two bright stars below the belt, Rigel and Saiph, mark the Hunter's feet. The brightest nighttime star, Sirius, is found by extending an imaginary line along the belt stars toward their lower left.

Tuesday, February 21

An hour before sunup Wednesday the Last Quarter moon, in the south, approaches bright Jupiter. This giant planet is 10 degrees lower left of the moon, while Antares, the heart of the Scorpion, twinkles 6 degrees lower right of Jupiter. The "morning star" Venus is now 37 degrees to Jupiter's lower left. Mercury is at its highest this week; look 45 minutes before sunup for this elusive planet, very low in ESE, 17 degrees lower left of Venus.

Wednesday, February 22

At dawn Thursday the waning crescent moon has passed bright Jupiter low in the S. Jupiter is 4 degrees right of the moon, while reddish Antares shines 10 degrees lower right of the slightly less than half full moon. The "morning star" Venus is far lower left of the moon.

Thursday, February 23

An hour before sunrise Friday the crescent moon is in the SSE. Look 18 degrees upper right of the moon for bright Jupiter. Venus is a little farther from the moon, in the SE to the moon's lower left. For the next several mornings, note earthshine, or sunlight reflected from Earth onto the "dark" portion of the moon's disk.

Friday, February 24

Saturday at dawn the thin crescent moon is low in SE, approaching Venus. Look for the brilliant planet 9 degrees to moon's lower left. Jupiter is nearly in S, and Mars is about to set in WNW. If you spot Mercury to Venus' lower left, that makes 5 Solar System objects!

Saturday, February 25

An hour before sunup Sunday the waning crescent moon is very low in the ESE to SE. Brilliant Venus is 5 degrees right of the thin crescent. Can you still spot Mercury rising 12 degrees lower left of the moon? Binoculars help.

Sunday, February 26

Find the last easy Old Moon very low in the ESE 3/4 hour before sunup Monday, with brilliant Venus 18 degrees upper right. Look for Mercury 4 or 5 degrees to Moon's lower right, and note earthshine, or sunlight reflected from Earth onto the "dark" portion of the moon's disk.

Monday, February 27

Look early, 35 minutes before sunrise Tuesday, for the Very Old Moon, just risen in the E to ESE. Binoculars help spot the crescent, as well as elusive Mercury, 15 degrees to upper right of the moon. From mid-Michigan the moon crescent sits on an ideal flat horizon just 45 minutes before sunup, and 15 minutes later (half an hour before sunup) it's only 24 hours until New Moon. Observers in southern states, where the moon rises earlier in a darker sky, will have an easier time spotting the crescent in the glow of dawn.

In the entry for Jan. 31 in this edition of Skywatcher's Diary, we called for observations from anyone who managed to spot the moon on both Jan. 31 and Feb. 28.

Tuesday, February 28

Mercury lingers 15 degrees lower left of Venus today through March 12, as both planets sink about 3 degrees lower in the twilight glow. Look about 45 minutes before sunup for the planets very low in ESE to SE. Only viewers in southern states are likely to still find Mercury on March 12.

• Look at the Skywatcher's Diary archive
• Skywatcher's Page
• About the Abrams Sky Calendar
• About Abrams Publications
• Abrams Home Page