February Night Sky
Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2004 11:07 am
February Night Sky
9AM EST, February 13, 2004
February brings numerous skywatching opportunities with four planets visible
for a good portion of the month.
The brightest of all is Venus. It is prominently visible in the west-southwest sky
just after dusk until around 8:45 local time this week, though the window for
viewing will expand to 9:30pm by the end of the month. The evening of
Monday, February 23 will provide a special chance to view Venus as it will
appear very close to the crescent moon in the early evening sky.
The next brightest planet is Jupiter, which appears over the eastern horizon
after 8pm local time this week. By the end of February, it will be visible just
after sunset, around 6:30 pm local time. With a small telescope, you will be
able to observe a small group of satellites orbiting the planet.
Higher in the sky above Venus is Mars, which seems like a yellowish-orange
star.
Mars is visible from dusk until around 11PM local time in February. While
it is dimmer than in August when it came within 56 million kilometers of the
earth, it is still quite visible with the naked eye. On Wednesday, February 25,
the crescent moon will make a very close pass to Mars in the western sky.
To find Saturn and its famous rings, look high in the southern sky all night. It is
located close to the feet of the Gemini constellation.
9AM EST, February 13, 2004
February brings numerous skywatching opportunities with four planets visible
for a good portion of the month.
The brightest of all is Venus. It is prominently visible in the west-southwest sky
just after dusk until around 8:45 local time this week, though the window for
viewing will expand to 9:30pm by the end of the month. The evening of
Monday, February 23 will provide a special chance to view Venus as it will
appear very close to the crescent moon in the early evening sky.
The next brightest planet is Jupiter, which appears over the eastern horizon
after 8pm local time this week. By the end of February, it will be visible just
after sunset, around 6:30 pm local time. With a small telescope, you will be
able to observe a small group of satellites orbiting the planet.
Higher in the sky above Venus is Mars, which seems like a yellowish-orange
star.
Mars is visible from dusk until around 11PM local time in February. While
it is dimmer than in August when it came within 56 million kilometers of the
earth, it is still quite visible with the naked eye. On Wednesday, February 25,
the crescent moon will make a very close pass to Mars in the western sky.
To find Saturn and its famous rings, look high in the southern sky all night. It is
located close to the feet of the Gemini constellation.
