鈥淲hat鈥檚 up in the sky?鈥� is a recurring feature and publishes on the first of every month. You can find it on聽海角精品黑料鈥檚 The Space Place. Email Greg your space questions and he might answer them in the next edition.
Each month, 海角精品黑料 is showcasing the best the sky has to offer stargazers regarding the moon, planets and stars. Space-related events in the D.C. region will be included as well.
Let鈥檚 get to the sky for February 2025!
January 2025 was a very exciting month and start to the New Year for stargazers. February has a nice lineup as well of planets and some eye-catching alignments.
Must-see sky sights for February聽
The bright and glorious constellations of winter continue to greet you as soon as it gets dark. Take some Orion, the Hunter; Taurus, the Bull; Gemini, the Twins, and others.
Highlight of the month Feb. 1: The young waxing crescent moon and bright Venus pair up in the southwestern sky at dusk for a stunning view 鈥� on the moon. Saturn will be just about a held at arm鈥檚 length, below this beautiful pair.
Feb. 5: The waxing gibbous moon once again keeps close company with the Pleiades Star Cluster 鈥� binoculars recommended.
Feb. 9: Mars, the waxing gibbous moon and the star Castor, form an impressive isosceles triangle in the East as it gets dark.
Highlight of the month Feb. 14: For our viewing, Venus will be at its brightest in the Southwest. It鈥檚 (how astronomers measure the visual brightness of the objects in the sky) is a whopping -4.9.
At a dark sky location , you could possibly see your shadow cast by Venus 鈥� on how to do this are online. I have experienced this at pristine locations and it is something to see.
Highlight of the month Feb. 14:聽If you happen to be at a dark sky site in the next two weeks, make sure you in the western sky as it gets dark. Brilliant Venus most likely will be in the triangular shape of the zodiacal light which will be a real visual and photographic treat.
Try taking an astro-pic with your smartphone or digital camera. For best results, the camera should be mounted on a tripod or held very steady for a time exposure of several seconds.
Feb. 17: The waning gibbous moon is very close to the bright star Spica in the hours before dawn in the Southwest. Binoculars will help the view.
Feb. 21: The waning crescent moon will be very close to the red supergiant star, Antares, in the hours before dawn in the southeast.
Feb. 24-25: Mercury pairs up with Saturn for a very at sunset. You will have to have a clear horizon to see the pair as they will be low and in bright twilight. Use Venus as a guide, look straight down toward the horizon at 6:30 p.m. 鈥� Mercury is on the right. Binoculars will help immensely. Worth trying an astro-pic, too.
The moon
Feb. 5: First Quarter
Feb. 12: February鈥檚 full moon is . The D.C. area certainly had snow in January!
Feb. 20: Last Quarter
Feb. 28: New Moon
The planets
Mercury is low in the southeast sky about an hour before sunrise and binoculars will help immensely to find the bright yellowish planet. It transitions to the evening sky in the southwest toward the end of the month to pair up with Saturn.
Venus blazes above the southwest horizon as it gets dark, you can鈥檛 miss it.
Mars is in the East as it gets dark and has faded in brightness. In a small telescope, some surface features can be spotted and identified .
Jupiter is bright and located high in the sky with only the moon and Venus being brighter than the king of the planets. A pair of 7×50 binoculars will show the four main moons of Jupiter looking like 鈥渟tars鈥� in a line which constantly changes. You can .
A small telescope can reveal features in Jupiter鈥檚 atmosphere.
Saturn is low in the southwestern sky at dusk. A small telescope will show that Saturn鈥檚 rings are currently almost edge on 鈥� quite the sight.
Uranus can be spotted with binoculars using to locate it. In small telescopes, you can detect the color of the planet but not much else.
Neptune needs a telescope to be viewed and it is worth seeing its deep blue color.
Pluto is way out there in the solar system and requires taking images through a telescope spaced days apart to hunt it down.
DC-area events
February events at Virginia State Parks can be found .
The NOVAC General Meeting will be held at George Mason University. for the date and other February astronomy events.
The National Capital Astronomers will have its meeting at 7 p.m. on Feb. 8.
holds Friday night public viewing sessions of Observatory Park at Turner Farm in Great Falls, Virginia, from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Those hours will remain until next spring.
The Smithsonian Air & Space in D.C. and Chantilly has loads聽of in January.
You can聽听补苍诲听 for astronomy clubs that are outside the D.C. area.
Added bonus
顿辞飞苍濒辞补诲听, which features out-of-this world pictures and information.
罢丑别听聽is another resource for tracking space missions.
Use this聽聽for your location to help you find your way around the stars.
Follow Greg Redfern on聽,听聽and his聽聽to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration
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