Monthly Night Sky information provided by Chris Vaughan (@Astrogeoguy) at Starry Night Education (@StarryNightEdu).
The moon will complete the first quarter of its 29.53-day journey around Earth on Wednesday, February 5 at 3:02 a.m. EST, or 12:02 a.m. PST, or 08:02 GMT. At first quarter, the moon’s 90-degree angle from the sun causes us to see it half-illuminated on its eastern side. First quarter moons always rise around mid-day […]
On Wednesday night, February 5, skywatchers in North America west of Winnipeg, Manitoba and Kansas City, Missouri can watch the orbital motion (green dotted line) of the bright, 60%-illuminated, waxing gibbous moon carry it through the Pleiades star cluster (aka Messier 45, Subaru, and the Seven Sisters). In the Central Time zone, the moon will […]
As the sky darkens after sunset on Thursday evening, February 6, the bright planet Jupiter will shine less than a palm’s width below (or 5 degrees to the celestial south of) the waxing gibbous moon high in the southern sky – close enough to share the view in binoculars (orange circle). By early evening, the […]
On Friday evening, February 7 in the Americas, the bright, gibbous moon will shine closely below (or celestial south of) the bright star Elnath. That blue giant star serves to mark both the upper horn-tip of Taurus, the Bull, and the southern end of the roughly oval shape of Auriga, the Charioteer, thus giving it […]
In the eastern sky after dusk on Sunday evening, February 9, the bright, nearly full moon will be shining a short distance to the lower left (or celestial east) of the bright reddish planet Mars – close enough for them to share the view in binoculars (orange circle). Gemini’s bright stars Castor and Pollux will […]