Feb. 8 New Moon
The Moon is
”
new
”
at 2:28pm. The Moon crosses the imaginary line between Earth and
the Sun at that moment. It appears so close to the Sun that it is
lost in our star’s glare. It should return to view as a thin
crescent in the west early Thursday evening.
Feb. 8 New Moon
The Moon is “new” at 2:28pm. The Moon crosses the imaginary line between Earth and the Sun at that moment. It appears so close to the Sun that it is lost in our star’s glare. It should return to view as a thin crescent in the west early Thursday evening.
Feb. 9 Camelopardalis
Camelopardalis, the giraffe, ambles across the evening sky this month. It stands above Polaris, the North Star, but it’s hard to see because it doesn’t have any bright stars. You need dark skies (like tonight’s, with no Moon) and a starchart to find it.
Feb. 10 Saturn
The giant planet Saturn continues to put on a good show this month. It’s about halfway up the eastern sky as darkness falls, and crosses high overhead in late evening. It looks like a bright golden star.
Feb. 11 Mizar and Alcor
Look toward the northeast in mid evening for the Big Dipper. Its handle points toward the horizon. The second star from the end of the handle is Mizar. If you look at it closely in dark skies, you should see a faint star very near Mizar, called Alcor.
Feb. 12 Mechanical Constellations
Three constellations visible this evening reflect a fascination with the machines that early scientists used to study Earth and the heavens: Sextans, Antlia and Pyxis – the sextant, air pump, and compass. Around 7pm, Sextans is low in the east, with Antlia and Pyxis climbing into view in the south and southeast.
Feb. 13 Winter Circle
Some of the brightest stars in the night sky form the Winter Circle – a jewel-studded cosmic necklace that fills much of the southern sky this evening. Look for it beginning about an hour after sunset, as the sky gets nice and dark. The circle’s hub is bright orange Betelgeuse in Orion, the hunter.
Feb. 14 Drinking Gourd
The Big Dipper is the most famous star pattern of all. Before and during the Civil War, slaves fleeing to the north paid special attention to it. They knew it as the Drinking Gourd. The rule for a successful escape was to always follow the Drinking Gourd.
