The Night Sky for February 2009
Venus Shines Bright, a New Comet Appears, Plus a Lunar Occultation
Jan 26, 2009
Venus has been the brightest "star" in the evening sky for months now. It is causing quite a stir in the west southwest after sunset, imitating a plane with its dazzling light. It is appropriate that the planet named after the Goddess of Love take center stage on Valentine's Day and all month. Although Venus is magnificently bright through February, it reaches its peak of brilliance on February 19 at magnitude -4.8.
While stars appear to twinkle due to Earth’s atmosphere, planets such as Venus hold their light steady because they are much closer to Earth and are more than a pinpoint of light flickering in the rippling air. Because Venus is the closest planet to Earth, observers are able to follow it change phase through a pair of binoculars. Over February, Venus’s crescent shrinks from 41 percent to 19 percent lit, but its apparent size grows from 0.5 arcminutes to 0.8 arcminutes across.
The Moon and Venus on February 27
On Friday, February 27, a sliver of a crescent moon, only 9-percent lit, will sit beside blazing Venus as darkness falls until the two solar system objects set. The pair will lie just a degree and a half apart, or a little more than the size of your pinky held at arm’s length. This beautiful sight will make for a great photo opportunity. Venus is in the constellation Pisces this month and will remain there into March, when it eventually meets back up with the sun.
Comet Lulin Is Bright and Easy to Find
A newly discovered comet passes close to Earth in February, visible in binoculars and perhaps even with the unaided eye. Comet Lulin, or C/2007 N3, reaches its peak of brightness around February 24. It moves quickly through the constellations Libra and Virgo and passes by bright objects such as Saturn, making it easy to spot. Comet Lulin is a unique two-tailed comet, sporting both a traditional tail and an anti-tail. Read more about Comet Lulin and how to see it.
The Moon Occults the Pleiades
The Pleiades star cluster in Taurus, also known as the Seven Sisters and appearing a bit like a tiny dipper, is brushed by the moon this month. For observers in the Northern US and Canada, the moon will pass in front of some of the stars in the cluster during a lunar occultation. On February 3 in mid-evening, the 63-percent-lit gibbous moon passes north of this star cluster, hiding, or occulting, some of the brightest stars. The dark side of the moon first passes over the stars, and they re-emerge from the moon’s bright side. This event can be viewed with the unaided eye or with binoculars or a telescope.
A Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
February’s full moon, sometimes called the Snow Moon, reaches 100-percent lit at 9:49 am EST on February 9. On this same night, a penumbral lunar eclipse occurs, when the moon passes dips into the edge of the Earth’s shadow. However, this type of eclipse does not put on a good show; few in the path of this eclipse will even notice the northern edge of the moon grow dimmer. Those in central and western North America, Australia, Asia, and eastern Europe and Africa will be able to look for the subtle darkening on the moon. The star next to the moon all night on the 9th is Regulus, the brightest star in Leo the Lion.
Three Planets in Conjunction on February Mornings
From February 22 to 26, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter will appear less than five degrees away from each other in the early morning sky. Star looking about an hour before sunrise for three planets in the east-southeast. On the 22nd, the crescent moon will be above Mercury, Jupiter, and Mars, with the four solar system objects aligned in a row, slanting off to the upper right. On the 23rd, Mercury and Jupiter will have pulled about even (with Jupiter being the brightest) and Mars and the moon will be below. By the 24th the moon has left the view but the three planets come their closest together, at less than 4 degrees across. The next few days will show Mercury sinking, first appearing between Jupiter and Mars, and soon to vanish into the glow of the rising sun.
With brilliant Venus, planetary conjunctions, a lunar occultation, a new comet that's easy to find, and a penumbral eclipse, February may be the shortest month of the year but it is packed with fabulous observing opportunities.
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