Jupiter and Saturn start to glow prominently in the long winter
nights. If not for the Moon, Jupiter would be the brightest object
in the sky until Venus rises in the early-morning hours. And that
is saying something when you consider that the winter skies contain
the most brilliant stars of the year.
By David Baumgartner
Jupiter and Saturn start to glow prominently in the long winter nights. If not for the Moon, Jupiter would be the brightest object in the sky until Venus rises in the early-morning hours. And that is saying something when you consider that the winter skies contain the most brilliant stars of the year.
Saturn, not the brightest, certainly can hold its own in beauty especially when observed through magnification. Get up early in the morning this month and you can’t miss Venus shining as bright as can be. This second planet from the Sun goes from a thin crescent at the beginning of February to an almost half Venus. Take a look on Feb. 24 when a waning crescent Moon passes by Venus – it will make for an interesting photo.
Saturn’s rings are beginning to close, and by 2009 they will appear edge-on. All you will see is a fine line at the equator. Then, slowly, the northern half of the planet will show its face, and it will start all over again. Unfortunately, a lot of us old folks won’t be around to witness it. But you younger ones have many star-gazing years left in you. Don’t squander them away. Get out there at night, look up and enjoy the skies before you are one of those “old folks” yourself.
Constellation of the Month
As I mentioned, the winter sky sparkles with bright stars. Does it just seem this way because of the clear, frosty air? No, the winter sky is just full of bright stars. This month we learn about the less-conspicuous but still well-known constellation Gemini.
To find Gemini, draw a line from the two brightest stars in Orion (Betelgeuse and Rigel), and go east. It will point right at Gemini. You will see two very bright stars, Castor and Pollux. Gemini is the Latin word for “twins.” The two stars are the heads of the twins, and their bodies are the two ragged lines of stars sloping down to their feet, which stand on the Milky Way.
Pollux is just a little brighter and is slightly orange. In your telescope, Castor is one of the many double stars in the sky. It actually is a group of six stars close together.
Castor and Pollux were famous twin brothers in Greek legends. Castor was a wrestler and Pollux was a boxer, and together they went on many adventures. There was hardly any difference between them, except that Castor was mortal and Pollux was immortal. When Castor was killed, Pollux was so sad that he wanted to die too, but he could not. The gods were so impressed by their brotherly love that they let them live together in the sky forever.
In other star-gazing news …
To my liking, I received a new and larger telescope. It turns out “the difference between boys and men is that men’s toys are more expensive” is true. It feels nice to see that I can still get excited about my hobby. I thought I had lost that ability to stand by and wait for the mailman every day, wondering when the treasure will arrive.
Clear skies.
David Baumgartner is in local real estate and is an avid amateur astronomer. His Sky Watch column appears monthly.
February Sky Watch
Feb. 5: First Quarter Moon; Moon passes 2 degrees north of Mars
Feb. 11: Moon passes 4 degrees north of Saturn
Feb. 12: Full Moon
Feb. 13: Moon is farthest from Earth (apogee-252,500mi)
Feb. 17: Venus is at greatest brilliancy (magnitude-4.6); Moon passes 0.4 degrees north of Spica.
Feb. 20: Moon passes 5 degrees south of Jupiter
Feb. 21: Last-quarter Moon
Feb. 24: Moon passes 10 degrees south of Venus
Feb. 26: Moon passes 4 degrees south of Neptune
Feb. 27: Moon is closest to Earth (parogee-221,757mi); New Moon
Feb. 28: Moon passes 4 degrees south of Mercury
