Monthly Night Sky information provided by Chris Vaughan (@Astrogeoguy) at Starry Night Education (@StarryNightEdu).
February’s full moon will occur on Wednesday, February 12 at 8:53 a.m. EST, 5:53 a.m. PST, or 13:53 GMT. In the Americas the moon will appear full on both Tuesday and Wednesday evening. The indigenous Anishnaabe (Ojibwe and Chippewa) people of the Great Lakes region call the February full moon Namebini-giizis “Sucker Fish Moon” or […]
For several hours after sunset on Friday, February 14, Venus will shine in the western sky at its greatest illuminated extent for the current evening apparition. In a telescope, the planet will show a 27%-illuminated waning crescent phase and an apparent disk size of 39 arc-seconds. Even with a less than fully-illuminated disk (inset), Venus’ […]
If you live in a location where the sky is free of light pollution, you might be able to spot the Zodiacal Light during the two weeks that precede the new moon on February 27. Starting on Friday, February 14, after the evening twilight has faded, you’ll have about half an hour to check the […]
When the waning gibbous moon rises in late evening on Sunday, February 16, it will be shining to the upper right (or celestial west) of Virgo’s brightest star Spica. As the night wears on the moon will shift closer to the star while Earth’s rotation carries them west, where they will set after sunrise on […]
The star Algol in the constellation of Perseus represents the glowing eye of Medusa from Greek mythology. Also designated Beta Persei, it is among the most accessible variable stars for skywatchers. During a ten-hour period that repeats like clockwork every 2 days, 20 hours, and 49 minutes, Algol dims noticeably and re-brightens by about a […]