2010 February Skies


The month opens with the Moon just the full phase. The next full Moon is on February 28. On the 7th, the bright carbon star, Antares, is within a degree of the Moon; watch for the speedy planet Mercury, within a couple degrees on the 12th; on the 21st, Luna glides through the Pleiades, and on the 24th, the cluster M35 and the Moon share the same bit of sky.

Mercury is visible in the early eastern sky before sunrise, then it gradually slips into the twilight toward monthend as it rounds behind the Sun. See the Moon above.
Venus is just coming out from behind the Sun as February opens. It will grace the evening twilight as the Evening Star for the remainder of spring and summer. On the 16, Venus and Jupiter are close to each other just after sundown. They’ll present a viewing challenge, as they skirt the horizon; binoculars may be necessary.
Mars is visible all night, having just passed opposition (directly opposite the Sun). Look for the reddish planet in the east just after sundown in the constellation Cancer, The Crab. This apparition of Mars makes it appear quite small, only 14 arcseconds, which is 14/3600 of a degree. The Red Planet is just under 100 million kilometres away at its closest approach. Through a medium-power telescope, the planet shows as a disc, but that’s about all. Higher power would reveal the polar ice caps and possibly some prominent surface features.
Jupiter, as mentioned in the section on Venus is nearing conjunction with the Sun, which occurs on February 28. The giant gas planet will be invisible for most of the winter, becoming noticeable again in the early morning April twilight.
Saturn is in the constellation Virgo, The Maiden, rising in the east about 10:40 p.m. As the month opens, the Moon is within a fist width of the ringed planet. They cross the night sky together; Saturn appearing to move westward in retrograde motion, while the Moon moves east. Saturn’s rings are open about 3 degrees.
Uranus and Neptune are approaching conjunction and so are nearly invisible. Neptune is closest to the Sun, separated from Uranus by Jupiter. Uranus reaches conjunction with the Sun in early March.
This time of year, early in the month, is a splendid opportunity on moonless nights to see the Zodiacal Light. Dust in the space round Earth’s orbit is back-lit by the setting Sun. Look for the glow above the western horizon just after sunset.

James Edgar has had an interest in the night sky all his life. He joined the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 2000 and quickly became involved in the Society. He is Editor’s Assistant and a contributor to the renowned Observer’s Handbook, Production Manager of the bi-monthly RASC Journal, and is the Society’s National Secretary.