Monthly Sky Report - February 2007
To find the planets, bright stars and groups, you need to know the compass
directions where you watch the sky. Lacking a compass, you can use the
sun at the start, middle and end of the day. As you face the rising sun
- it will be rising slightly south of East. In mid day (around noon),
look at your shadow which then points North. The sun will set slightly
south of West.
During February, there is an average of 10.7 hours of sunlight each day.
During February, the sunsets slide forward from 5:34 p.m. to 6:06 p.m.
Sunrises drop back from 7:24 a.m. early in the month to 6:50 a.m. at
month's end. Stars begin to fade away an hour before sunrise and the
star groups come into view an hour after sunset. In the early evening,
there are three very bright stars visible, sparkling Sirius, low in the
southeast and white-blue Rigel in the South and golden Capella nearly
overhead. But the grandest sight is the brilliant planet Venus in the
southwestern evening at dusk. The other evening planet is Saturn, seen
low in the East as darkness falls. The two planets can be distinguished
from the bright stars by their steady light. In the southern evening
sky is the bright star group Orion, shaped like an hour glass with two
bright stars on top, three stars in the middle and two bright stars on
the bottom. Orion's middle stars point down and left to Sirius, the night's
brightest star. Orion's middle stars point up and right to the orange
star Aldebaran and the Pleiades or 7 Sisters star cluster. The Big Dipper
is in the North Northeast with its two top scoop stars pointing left
to the North Star.
for Early February 2007
The evening moon is full on February 1st, appearing in the dim star group
Cancer. The next night, the moon appears close to the planet Saturn in
Leo. On February 10th, the planet Saturn is brightest and closest to
the Earth for 2007, being about 800 million miles away (1.2 light hours).
On that night, Saturn rises at sunset, is highest in the South at midnight
and sets as the sun rises. In early February, the planet Mercury can
be seen below and to the right of the brilliant planet Venus in the southwestern
dusk. Look for both planets about 6:15 p.m. from a place with a flat
for Mid February 2007
In mid February, the moon rises after midnight and is best viewed at
dawn. The early evening will then be great for viewing the bright winter
stars, then in the Southeast and South. On February 12th, the crescent
moon appears near the bright planet Jupiter in the southeastern dawn.
On February 19th, the crescent moon appears near the brilliant planet
Venus in the southwestern dusk.
for Late February 2007
On February 23rd the evening moon appears half full, passing close to
the Pleiades or 7 Sisters star cluster. This moon shape offers the best
views of our moon's craters and mountain peaks with binoculars. On February
27th, the moon appears close to the stars Pollux and Castor, the brightest
stars of Gemini.
free public February Planetarium presentation is "Calendars & Why
February Got Shortchanged", shown each February Sunday at 4 p.m.
and 7 p.m. The Planetarium is in Tawes 302, near the middle of the Frostburg