Features: Calendar | Lunar Almanac | Monthly Topic
This Month's Night Sky - NOTE: The next paragraph describes the sky as it
appears at 10 pm EST (11 pm EDT) near mid- month. The sky also looks
this way at 11 pm EST (midnight EDT) during the beginning of the month and
at 9 pm EST (10 pm EDT) by month's end.
Angular Measurement Review: It is interesting to note that the relationship between the angle subtended by combinations of fingers on your fully outstretched arm are the same for all viewers. This is due to the fact that the hand's size is proportional to the arm's length. A shorter arm is attached to a smaller hand while a longer arm is attached to a larger hand, thus the angle measured remains the same. If you hold your arm fully outstretched, your little finger, when sighted down your arm, is one degree wide. Your three middle fingers is five degrees, your fist, 10 degrees, and the distance between your little finger and your pointer finger is 15 degrees no matter what your age or size.
This Month's Night Sky - A large asterism, "the Winter Triangle", appears directly overhead. It is an inverted triangle formed by three bright stars: Procyon (Canis Minor) upper left, Betelgeuse (Orion) upper right and Sirius (Canis Major) below center. The Big Dipper (Ursa Major's famous asterism) stands high in the NE with its "handle" still pointing towards the horizon. Follow the handle's curve to orange star Arcturus (Bootes). Look for Cassiopeia's "W" asterism high in the NW. To the S, Orion dominates the sky while Aldebaran (Taurus) followed by the Pleiades star cluster drops below the horizon by 3 AM. Regulus (Leo) now rises in the SE. If you live in a dark site region, don't forget to observe the Milky Way's (our spiral galaxy) arm hat passes through Cassiopeia. It will not be visible in bright Moon light or in the cities.
MERCURY is still visible, a few degrees above the SE horizon, about 30 minutes before sunrise during the first week of the month. After that, it will sink lower each day until disappearing below the horizon. VENUS, on the other hand, becomes visible around the 10th. Look for it in the W as the sky darkens after sunset. MARS, bright and "orangish", will be found in the E at dusk. It will remain in the sky all night, setting in the NW shortly before sunrise. Although it will appear to become slightly smaller as the month progresses, this month's view will be the best until 2014. My 4" refractor shows its polar cap and my favorite, the dark, inverted "V" of Syrtis Major under good viewing conditions. JUPITER disappears from view towards the end of the month as its orbit takes it to the far side of the sun. SATURN rises in the E a bit after 9 PM at the beginning of the month and two hours later at month's end and sets in the SW at sunrise. It has a creamy "yellowish" color to my eye. The DELTA LEONID METEOR SHOWER peaks before dawn on the 24th. It will be at its best after the Moon sets.
Calendar of Events
NOTE: For those observers not in the ET zone, convert the calendar times to your zone's time by subtracting one hour for CT, two for MT and three for PT. Don't forget to adjust for Daylight Savings Time when necessary by subtracting one hour from your planisphere's time.; Dawn and dusk times must also be corrected. See your local newspaper, TV news, or cable TV's Weather Channel for sunrise and sunset times. Unfortunately some of these events may occur during daylight hours in your area.
| DATE | EVENT |
02 |
Look for a conjunction (8 degrees) of Moon and Saturn at 9 PM. |
03 |
At midnight look for a pseudo-conjunction (4 degrees) low in the ESE, of the Moon and the bright star, Spica (Virgo). |
07 |
Look for a close pseudo-conjunction (1+ degrees) of the Moon and the bright star, Antares (Scorpius). |
11 |
Look very low in the ESE for a conjunction (7 degrees) of the crescent Moon and Mercury about 30 minutes before sunrise. You will need a good view of the horizon and, probably, binoculars. |
12 |
Again look very low in the ESE to see a conjunction (4 degrees) of the crescent Moon and Mercury about 30 minutes before sunrise. This time the Moon and Mercury have switched sides. You will still need a good view of the horizon and a pair of binoculars. |
14-16 |
During the bright twilight (about 15 minutes after sunset) observe the thin
crescent Moon and the bright planets, Venus and Jupiter, very low above the WSW
horizon. On the 14th. Jupiter (above) and the Moon (to the right) and Venus
(below Jupiter) form a triangle. On the 15th., Jupiter (above) and Venus
(below) are now very close while the Moon floats high above. Finally, on the
16th., Jupiter and Venus are in very close conjunction (less than a degree), and
the Moon floats higher still.
Look for a close conjunction (2 degrees) of the Moon and Mercury at 1 AM. |
24 |
Although February and March are considered the "quietist" time of the year concerning meteor showers, sporadic meteors are always flashing across the night sky. Between 4 and 5 AM., when the gibbous Moon has set, the peak of a minor shower, the Delta Leonid, takes place. These meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Leo in the WSW and tend to travel more slowly across the sky than the spondaics. |
25 |
Look for a conjunction (5 degrees) of Moon and Mars at midnight. |
30 |
Look for a 7 degree conjunction of the full Moon and Mars at 3 AM. |
Lunar Almanac for February 2010
| Phases of the Moon | Phase and Date(s) | Best viewed before local midnight |
 |
New |
Deep Space Objects |
 |
1st. Qtr |
Planets & Moon |
 |
Full |
Moon |
 |
Last |
Deep Space & Planets |
Topic of the month:
The Constellation Taurus
|
Taurus is considered the second "sign" of the Zodiac. It is the brightest constellation in this 30 degree segment along the plane of the Ecliptic. It is located counter clockwise along the Ecliptic some 30+ degrees from the constellation Ares.
--See
you next month!
|
This installment of "Whats Up?" is ©2010 Ronald A. Leeseberg, encoded by Dawn Jenkins for Astra's Stargate.
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