Welcome to SkyEye, your guide to this month's celestial events. All times and dates are given in Universal Time (UT). Daily darkness estimates are calculated for Greenwich, London (51.5° N, 0° W).
Calendar of Events - February
| Date | Event |
|---|
| 2 | Mon |
Neptune at conjunction |
| 6 | Fri |
Full Moon |
| 8 | Sun |
The waning gibbous Moon spoils this year's viewing of the Alpha Centaurids meteor shower. |
| 13 | Fri |
Last Quarter Moon |
| 16 | Mon |
Moon at perigee |
| 20 | Fri |
New Moon |
| 22 | Sun |
Uranus at conjunction |
| 26 | Thu |
Moon occults Mars |
| 28 | Sat |
First Quarter Moon |
| Moon at apogee |
The Solar System
The word planet is derived from the Greek word for "wanderer." Unlike the background stars, planets seem to move around the sky, keeping mostly to a narrow track called the ecliptic, the path of the Sun across the stars.
- Sun
- Location: Capricornus -> Aquarius
- Mercury
- Location: Sagittarius -> Capricornus -> Aquarius
This morning sky object is sinking quickly towards the horizon as seen from the northern hemisphere. It appears higher in the sky for those at southern latitudes but is getting lower every day.
- Venus
- Location: Aquarius -> Pisces
The "evening star" is particularly high in the western sky for northern hemisphere observers and it is getting higher throughout the month. Viewers in southern regions are not so fortunate, however, with Venus not nearly so high above the horizon at sunset and slowly sinking.
- Mars
- Location: Pisces -> Aries
The red planet is occulted by the Moon in a daytime event on 26 February. Look for Mars before it sets around midnight.
- Jupiter
- Location: Leo
Jupiter is up nearly all night as it approaches opposition early next month.
- Saturn
- Location: Gemini
The ringed planet is up most of the night, setting just before sunrise.
- Uranus
- Location: Aquarius
With conjunction occurring this month, the planet Uranus is too close to the Sun to be visible.
- Neptune
- Location: Capricornus
Like its outer solar system neighbour, Neptune reaches conjunction early this month and cannot be observed.
- Pluto
- Location: Serpens (Cauda)
With a brightness of around fourteenth magnitude, the smallest planet in the solar system can be seen only through a good-sized telescope. Look for it in the eastern sky before sunrise.
The Celestial Sphere
Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recognises 88 different constellations. The brightest stars as seen from the Earth are easy to spot but do you know their proper names? With a set of binoculars you can look for fainter objects such as nebulae and galaxies or some of the closest stars to the Sun.
Descriptions of the sky for observers in both the northern and southern hemispheres are available for the following times this month. Subtract one hour from your local time if daylight savings time is in effect. (Note: These times are approximate.)
Northern Hemisphere : 45° N
- 1730 hours (1830 hours daylight savings)
- 1930 hours (2030 hours daylight savings)
- 2130 hours (2230 hours daylight savings)
- 2330 hours (0030 hours daylight savings)
- 0130 hours (0230 hours daylight savings)
- 0330 hours (0430 hours daylight savings)
- 0530 hours (0630 hours daylight savings)
Southern Hemisphere : 30° S
- 1730 hours (1830 hours daylight savings)
- 1930 hours (2030 hours daylight savings)
- 2130 hours (2230 hours daylight savings)
- 2330 hours (0030 hours daylight savings)
- 0130 hours (0230 hours daylight savings)
- 0330 hours (0430 hours daylight savings)
- 0530 hours (0630 hours daylight savings)
For More Information...
- Consult our online glossary for non-technical explanations of many of the astronomical terms used in these pages.
- Blue moons, eclipses, the dates of Easter and much more can be found at the Interactive Astronomy Pages.
- For more information about the objects and events described in SkyEye, visit these astronomy-related sites.
Credits
Much of this information can be found in this month's issue of your favourite amateur astronomy magazine available in your local bookshop. Another excellent source is the current edition of the Astronomical Calendar by Guy Ottewell and published by the Universal Workshop at Furman University.
The image of the Sun in the SkyEye banner is courtesy of the SOHO/EIT consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA. Used with permission.
Copyright © 1995-2004 by David Harper and L.M. Stockman
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Obliquity
Last modified on 31 January 2004
https://www.obliquity.com/skyeye/archive/2004/feb2004.html