In the Sky This Month

February nights offer some of the most beautiful skyscapes of the year. Orion is in the south at nightfall, with Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, twinkling fiercely below it. The stars of spring slide into better view later in the month. Venus shines highest and brightest for its current Evening-Star appearance, while slightly fainter Jupiter is in view almost all night.

The full Moon of February is known as the Snow Moon, Wolf Moon, or Hunger Moon.

Perigee February 1
Apogee February 17

Moon phases are Central Time

Moon Phases

February 5 2:02 am
First Quarter First Quarter
February 12 7:53 am
Full Moon Full Moon
February 20 11:32 am
Last Quarter Last Quarter
February 27 6:45 pm
New Moon New Moon

Blue Snowball

One of the treasures of the constellation Andromeda, which is low in the east and northeast at nightfall, is the Blue Snowball Nebula, a bubble of gas expelled by a dying star. The nebula is at the right edge of the constellation, above the Great Square of Pegasus.

Drawing Stars

Andromeda, the princess, is in the east and northeast at nightfall. It’s faint, though, so you need dark skies to see it. Andromeda is associated with several other constellations that share a common story.

More Moon and Saturn

Saturn, the solar system’s second-largest planet, huddles to the lower right of the Moon at nightfall this evening. Saturn has the largest ring system of any of the Sun’s planets, and the second-largest known retinue of moons.

Moon and Saturn

Look for the planet Saturn near the crescent Moon early this evening. It looks like a bright star to the left of the Moon as twilight fades away. They set about three hours after the Sun.

Pherkad

The star Pherkad, which forms the lower outer corner of the Little Dipper’s bowl, is much bigger, brighter, and heavier than the Sun. Over a period of a few hours, though, its brightness varies by a few percent, and astronomers aren’t sure why.

Little Dipper

The Little Dipper stands high above the Big Dipper, which is low in the northwest at nightfall. The Little Dipper’s bowl hangs upside down, like it’s pouring its water into the other dipper.

Orionid Meteor Shower

The Orionid meteor shower should be at its best late tonight, and there will be no Moon in the sky then to spoil the show. The shower is known as the Orionids because its meteors “rain” from Orion, although they can streak across any part of the sky.

New Moon

The new Moon will accompany the Sun as it climbs across the sky today. We can’t see the Moon because it is immersed in the Sun’s glare. The exact moment of new Moon is 2:12 p.m. CDT. The Moon will return to view after sunset tomorrow or Saturday.

Uranus at Opposition

The planet Uranus is putting in its best appearance of the year this week. It rises at sunset and remains in the sky all night. It’s also closest to us for the year. It’s still so faint, though, that you need binoculars to find it.

Moon and Venus

The beautiful “morning star” shines above the crescent Moon at dawn tomorrow. It’s not a star at all, though. Instead, it’s Venus, our nearest planetary neighbor. It shines so brightly in part because its surface is completely covered by clouds.

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