Sky Guide --- February
Feb 02 First quarter moon
Feb 03 Variable star Algol (beta Persei) at minimum (0200UT)
Feb 05 Variable star Algol (beta Persei) at minimum (2330UT)
Feb 06 Moon occults the star Propus (mu Geminorum, mag +2.9) from 0209UT to 0257UT.
Feb 08 Variable star Algol (beta Persei) at minimum (2030UT)
Feb 09 Full moon
Feb 10 Mercury greatest elongation east of the Sun (18 degrees). Evening sky.
Feb 11 Asteroid (4) Vesta occults 5th magnitude star in Aries (2201UT). Details here.
Variable star Algol (beta Persei) at minimum (1700UT)
Feb 13 NASTRO Meeting
Feb 15 Last quarter moon
Feb 18 Moon close to Mars (morning sky).
Mars close to the Lagoon nebula (M 8) in Sagittarius.
Lunar occultation of Mars (daylight; telescope required). Details below.
Feb 23 Variable star Algol (beta Persei) at minimum (0430UT)
New moon
Feb 25 Mercury inferior conjunction.
Feb 26 Variable star Algol (beta Persei) at minimum (0100UT)
Feb 27 NASTRO Meeting
Feb 28 Mars close to M 22 (globular cluster in Sagittarius). Morning sky.
Variable star Algol (beta Persei) at minimum (2200UT)
Feb 03 Variable star Algol (beta Persei) at minimum (0200UT)
Feb 05 Variable star Algol (beta Persei) at minimum (2330UT)
Feb 06 Moon occults the star Propus (mu Geminorum, mag +2.9) from 0209UT to 0257UT.
Feb 08 Variable star Algol (beta Persei) at minimum (2030UT)
Feb 09 Full moon
Feb 10 Mercury greatest elongation east of the Sun (18 degrees). Evening sky.
Feb 11 Asteroid (4) Vesta occults 5th magnitude star in Aries (2201UT). Details here.
Variable star Algol (beta Persei) at minimum (1700UT)
Feb 13 NASTRO Meeting
Feb 15 Last quarter moon
Feb 18 Moon close to Mars (morning sky).
Mars close to the Lagoon nebula (M 8) in Sagittarius.
Lunar occultation of Mars (daylight; telescope required). Details below.
Feb 23 Variable star Algol (beta Persei) at minimum (0430UT)
New moon
Feb 25 Mercury inferior conjunction.
Feb 26 Variable star Algol (beta Persei) at minimum (0100UT)
Feb 27 NASTRO Meeting
Feb 28 Mars close to M 22 (globular cluster in Sagittarius). Morning sky.
Variable star Algol (beta Persei) at minimum (2200UT)
Star chart
The following chart shows the sky mid-month at 9pm. Click and drag the chart to look around the sky!
Orion dominates the southern aspect of the sky in the early evening. The brilliant star Sirius is at its highest in the southern sky. Gemini is northeast of Orion and its brightest stars Castor and Pollux are high in the sky. The Milky Way runs from Auriga, between Gemini and Orion and down through Monoceros and towards Canis Major. There are lots of open clusters in this part of the sky. Meanwhile, the traditional Spring constellations of Cancer, Leo and Virgo are beginning to rise in the east. The Realm of the Galaxies is coming! More about this next month...
Planets
Generated with Coelix Lite software (www.ngc7000.com/en/index.htm)
Mercury can be spotted in the evening sky during the two weeks of the month. Look for it low above the southwest horizon about 40 minutes after sunset. It soon disappears from the evening sky after that!
Venus is visible immediately after sunset over the western horizon. It is moving among the stars of Pisces and climbing higher each evening. It sets about 4 hours after sunset. Venus is the brightest object in the sky after the moon and it shines at about magnitude -4.2 and brightening slowly. Telescopes show a gibbous disk decreasing from 74% to 63% illuminated. The angular size increases from 15 to 19 arcseconds this month.
Mars continues to brighten in the morning sky (mag. +1.4 to +1.1) and the angular diameter increases to just over 5 arcseconds by the end of the month. Large telescopes, high magnification and excellent atmospheric seeing are needed to see surface detail at the moment. The planet is still very low in the southern sky to the west of Jupiter. It will be much brighter, bigger and higher in the sky by the autumn.
Jupiter has emerged from its conjunction with the Sun and is now a morning sky object. Look for Jupiter in the hour or two before sunrise. The planet will be very low above the southeast horizon in the constellation Sagittarius. Angular size is about 33 arcseconds and mag. -1.9.
Saturn is a morning sky object in the constellation Sagittarius. It is about 10 degrees east of Jupiter (so look for it shortly before dawn, between Jupiter and the horizon). Angular size is about 15 arcseconds (the equator of the planet) and mag. +0.6.
Uranus is an evening object in the constellation Aries. It is well-placed for observing during the early part of the evening and shining a magnitude +5.8. Binoculars will show the planet easily if you know where to look. The planet shows a tiny blue-green disk through telescopes measuring just 3.5 arcseconds.
Neptune is an evening sky object in the constellation Aquarius but past the optimal time to view the planet. Mag. +8.0 and telescopes needed to resolve the tiny pale blue disk.
Hours of darkness
If you're looking for those nights where twilight and moonlight won't interfere with your imaging - then here are the hours of darkness for this month. Generated with Skymap Pro 9.
Hours of Darkness: 01 Feb 2020 to 29 Feb 2020
Date Sunset Twilight Darkness Twilight Sunrise
---- ------ -------- -------- -------- -------
Sat 01 Feb 20 16:41 18:48 01:12 - 05:50 05:50 07:57
Sun 02 Feb 20 16:43 18:50 02:25 - 05:49 05:49 07:55
Mon 03 Feb 20 16:45 18:51 03:39 - 05:47 05:47 07:53
Tue 04 Feb 20 16:47 18:53 04:53 - 05:46 05:46 07:51
Wed 05 Feb 20 16:49 18:55 None 05:44 07:49
Thu 06 Feb 20 16:51 18:57 None 05:42 07:47
Fri 07 Feb 20 16:53 18:59 None 05:41 07:45
Sat 08 Feb 20 16:55 19:00 None 05:39 07:43
Sun 09 Feb 20 16:58 19:02 None 05:37 07:41
Mon 10 Feb 20 17:00 19:04 None 05:35 07:39
Tue 11 Feb 20 17:02 19:06 19:06 - 20:10 05:33 07:37
Wed 12 Feb 20 17:04 19:08 19:08 - 21:39 05:31 07:35
Thu 13 Feb 20 17:06 19:10 19:10 - 23:07 05:29 07:33
Fri 14 Feb 20 17:08 19:12 19:12 - 00:33 05:28 07:30
Sat 15 Feb 20 17:10 19:14 19:14 - 01:57 05:26 07:28
Sun 16 Feb 20 17:13 19:16 19:16 - 03:17 05:23 07:26
Mon 17 Feb 20 17:15 19:18 19:18 - 04:29 05:21 07:24
Tue 18 Feb 20 17:17 19:19 19:19 - 05:19 05:19 07:21
Wed 19 Feb 20 17:19 19:21 19:21 - 05:17 05:17 07:19
Thu 20 Feb 20 17:21 19:23 19:23 - 05:15 05:15 07:17
Fri 21 Feb 20 17:23 19:25 19:25 - 05:13 05:13 07:15
Sat 22 Feb 20 17:25 19:27 19:27 - 05:10 05:10 07:12
Sun 23 Feb 20 17:27 19:29 19:29 - 05:08 05:08 07:10
Mon 24 Feb 20 17:29 19:31 19:31 - 05:06 05:06 07:07
Tue 25 Feb 20 17:32 19:33 19:33 - 05:04 05:04 07:05
Wed 26 Feb 20 17:34 19:35 20:38 - 05:01 05:01 07:03
Thu 27 Feb 20 17:36 19:38 21:48 - 04:59 04:59 07:00
Fri 28 Feb 20 17:38 19:40 22:58 - 04:56 04:56 06:58
Sat 29 Feb 20 17:40 19:42 00:10 - 04:54 04:54 06:55
Date Sunset Twilight Darkness Twilight Sunrise
---- ------ -------- -------- -------- -------
Sat 01 Feb 20 16:41 18:48 01:12 - 05:50 05:50 07:57
Sun 02 Feb 20 16:43 18:50 02:25 - 05:49 05:49 07:55
Mon 03 Feb 20 16:45 18:51 03:39 - 05:47 05:47 07:53
Tue 04 Feb 20 16:47 18:53 04:53 - 05:46 05:46 07:51
Wed 05 Feb 20 16:49 18:55 None 05:44 07:49
Thu 06 Feb 20 16:51 18:57 None 05:42 07:47
Fri 07 Feb 20 16:53 18:59 None 05:41 07:45
Sat 08 Feb 20 16:55 19:00 None 05:39 07:43
Sun 09 Feb 20 16:58 19:02 None 05:37 07:41
Mon 10 Feb 20 17:00 19:04 None 05:35 07:39
Tue 11 Feb 20 17:02 19:06 19:06 - 20:10 05:33 07:37
Wed 12 Feb 20 17:04 19:08 19:08 - 21:39 05:31 07:35
Thu 13 Feb 20 17:06 19:10 19:10 - 23:07 05:29 07:33
Fri 14 Feb 20 17:08 19:12 19:12 - 00:33 05:28 07:30
Sat 15 Feb 20 17:10 19:14 19:14 - 01:57 05:26 07:28
Sun 16 Feb 20 17:13 19:16 19:16 - 03:17 05:23 07:26
Mon 17 Feb 20 17:15 19:18 19:18 - 04:29 05:21 07:24
Tue 18 Feb 20 17:17 19:19 19:19 - 05:19 05:19 07:21
Wed 19 Feb 20 17:19 19:21 19:21 - 05:17 05:17 07:19
Thu 20 Feb 20 17:21 19:23 19:23 - 05:15 05:15 07:17
Fri 21 Feb 20 17:23 19:25 19:25 - 05:13 05:13 07:15
Sat 22 Feb 20 17:25 19:27 19:27 - 05:10 05:10 07:12
Sun 23 Feb 20 17:27 19:29 19:29 - 05:08 05:08 07:10
Mon 24 Feb 20 17:29 19:31 19:31 - 05:06 05:06 07:07
Tue 25 Feb 20 17:32 19:33 19:33 - 05:04 05:04 07:05
Wed 26 Feb 20 17:34 19:35 20:38 - 05:01 05:01 07:03
Thu 27 Feb 20 17:36 19:38 21:48 - 04:59 04:59 07:00
Fri 28 Feb 20 17:38 19:40 22:58 - 04:56 04:56 06:58
Sat 29 Feb 20 17:40 19:42 00:10 - 04:54 04:54 06:55
