Hi all,
Sky guide for February below:
OBSERVING GUIDE
(Please note all times are UT and are based on an observing location of Belfast)
The Sun
At the start of the month the Sun rises at 08:15 and sets at 17:00. By the end of the month, it rises at 07:15 and sets at 18:00.
The Planets
Watch out on the morning of the 1st for the
Venus-Jupiter conjunction in the East before sunrise. The two planets remain close to each other for several days after the event.
Watch out on the morning of the 27th for the
Venus-Mercury conjunction in the East before sunrise. The two planets remain close to each other for all of the last week of the month.
Mercury is badly placed for observation this month as it is at inferior conjunction on the 6th. At the start of the month, it sets more than an hour after the Sun at 18:20. It becomes a morning object during the month and by month’s end it rises less than an hour before the Sun at 06:30. At the start of the month, it is mag +2.0 and by month’s end, it is mag +0.2.
Venus is a morning object this month, rising at the start of the month at 06:40 and by month’s end it rises at 06:35. It fades from mag -4.0 at the start of the month to mag -3.9 by month’s end.
Mars is still well paced for observation. It rises during daylight hours throughout the month and can be found in Taurus. It fades from mag -0.6 at the start of the month to mag +0.2 by month’s end.
Jupiter is a morning object this month. At the start of the month, it rises at 06:50, more than an hour before the Sun. By month’s end, it rises more than two hours before the Sun at 05:10. It brightens from mag -1.9 at the start of the month to mag -2.0 by month’s end.
Saturn is well placed for observation this month as it is at opposition on the 24th. It rises at the start of the month at 19:15 and by month’s end, it rises during daylight hours. It can be found in Leo and brightens from mag +0.4 at the start of the month to mag +0.2 by month’s end.
Uranus disappears into the evening twilight this month and is at conjunction next month. It can be found in Aquarius. It sets at 20:25 at the start of the month and by month’s end, it sets at 18:35. It maintains its brightness at mag +5.9 during the month.
Neptune is badly placed for observation this month as it is at conjunction on the 11th. It can be found in Capricornus. At the start of the month, it sets less than an hour after the Sun at 17:55. It becomes a morning object during the month and by month’s end it rises less than an hour before the Sun at 06:45. It maintains its brightness at mag +8.0 during the month.
The Moon
The new moon is on the 7th with the first quarter moon on the 14th. The full moon this month is on the 21st. The last quarter moon is on the 29th.
On the morning of the 4th, a 9% illuminated waning crescent moon,
Venus and
Jupiter can be seen together low in the East before sunrise.
On the evening of the 8th, a very thin 2% illuminated waxing crescent moon may be viewed in the West just after sunset. Please be sure that the sun is below the horizon before observing this.
On the evening of the 14th, a 58% illuminated waxing gibbous moon lies close to
M45 – The Pleiades, to the East of the cluster.
On the morning of the 16th, a 70% illuminated waxing gibbous moon lies close to
Mars, to the West of the planet.
On the morning of the 19th, a 95% illuminated waxing gibbous moon makes a close approach to
M44 – The Beehive Cluster in the predawn hours.
There is a total lunar eclipse on the morning of the 21st. The approximate timings for this event are:
Penumbral Eclipse Begins 00:35
Partial Eclipse Begins 01:43
Total Eclipse Begins 03:01
Greatest Eclipse 03:26
Total Eclipse Ends 03:52
Partial Eclipse Ends 05:09
Penumbral Eclipse Ends 06:17
Meteors
There are two minor showers this month. The
Aurigids peak between the 5th and the 10th with a predicted low ZHR of 2. The other shower is the
Delta Leonids which peak on the 25th also with predicted low ZHR of 2.
Comets
Comet 17P/Holmes can be located in Perseus for the month of February. Current observations estimate its brightness at mag +4.7. It can be located South-East of Algol (Beta Persei).
Comet 46P/Wirtanen is predicted to peak at mag +8.5 between February and March. Current observations estimate the comet’s brightness at mag +8.7. It starts the month in Pisces and on the evening of the 2nd, passes within less than a degree of Zeta Piscium. It moves in a North-Easterly direction and enters Aries mid-month. Around the 16th, it lies South-East of Sharatan (Beta Ari) and around the 21st, lies South-East of Hamal (Alpha Ari).
Up to date information and finder charts for comets can be found at
www.aerith.net
and
www.skyhound.com/sh/comets.html
Deep Sky
On the deep sky front this month, M31 – the Great Andromeda Galaxy can be found in Andromeda, along with its two satellite galaxies – M32 and M110. M33 – a good spiral galaxy can be found in Triangulum. The Double Cluster – NGC 869 and NGC 884 makes for a great sight in Perseus. M42 – The Great Orion Nebula is a must see. In Taurus – M45 – The Pleiades and the Hyades are both excellent targets. Also in Taurus, M1 – The Crab Nebula – the Supernova Remnant can be located. The Leo/Virgo/Coma Berencies region is full of galaxies with the Leo Triplet; also M95, M96 and M105 in Leo. There are a large number of galaxies in Virgo and Coma Berencies, too many to list. Finally there are some excellent open clusters in Auriga, Gemini, Cancer and Canis Major - M35 in Gemini, M36, M37 and M38 in Auriga, M44 – The Beehive Cluster and M67 in Cancer and M41 in Canis Major.
General Notes
Always keep an eye out for
Aurorae. Check out
www.stronge.org.uk/spaceweather.html
for the most up-to-date information on the aurorae.
Other interesting naked eye phenomena to look out for include the
Zodiacal Light and the
Gegenschein. Both are caused by sunlight reflecting off dust particles which are present in the solar system. The
Zodiacal Light can be seen in the West after evening twilight has disappeared or in the East before the morning twilight. The best time of year to see the phenomenon is late-Feb to early-April in the evening sky and September/October in the morning sky -- it's then that the ecliptic, along which the cone of the zodiacal light lies, is steepest in our skies. The
Gegenschein can be seen in the area of the sky opposite the sun. To view either, you must get yourself to a very dark site to cut out the light pollution. Moonlight also hampers the view.
Finally check out
www.heavens-above.com
for the latest passes of the ISS and for details of Iridium Flare activity.
Clear Skies
Neill McKeown
