Post by Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe on Feb 1, 2007 10:05:18 GMT -6
February 2007 Astronomical Calendar
All times, unless otherwise noted, are UT (subtract five hours and,
when appropriate, one calendar day for EST)
2/1 The Moon is 1.8 degrees north of the bright open cluster M44
(the Beehive) in Cancer at 18:00; asteroid 2 Pallas is in conjunction
with the Sun at 22:00
2/2 Today is Candlemas or Groundhog Day, a cross-quarter day; Full
Moon (known as the Hunger, Snow, or Storm Moon) occurs at 5:45;
Saturn is 0.9 degree south of the Moon - an occultation is visible
from central Asia, eastern Scandinavia, and the Arctic - at 23:00
2/3 The Moon is 1.1 degrees north of the first magnitude star
Regulus (Alpha Leonis) - an occultation is visible from northern
Greenland and northwestern North America - at 14:00
2/5 Mercury is at the ascending node today; a minimum lunar
libration of 1.5 degrees occurs at 17:00
2/7 The Moon is at apogee, subtending 29'30" from a distance of
404,992 km, at 12:38; Venus is 0.7 degree south of Uranus at 13:00;
Mercury is at greatest eastern elongation (18 degrees) at 17:00
2/8 The Moon is 1.3 degrees south of the first magnitude star Spica
(Alpha Virginis) - an occultation is visible from at 4:00; Neptune is
in conjunction with the Sun at 16:00
2/10 Mercury is at perihelion today; Last Quarter Moon occurs at
9:51; Saturn (magnitude 0.0, apparent size 20.3") is at opposition at
19:00
2/11 The Moon is 0.7 degrees south of the first magnitude star
Antares (Alpha Scorpii) - an occultation is visible from south of
South America - at 22:00
2/12 Jupiter is 6.0 degrees north of the Moon at 10:00
2/13 A maximum lunar libration of 9.5 degrees occurs at 13:00;
Mercury is stationary at 14:00
2/15 Mars is 4.0 degrees north of the Moon at 1:00
2/17 New Moon (lunation 1041) occurs at 16:14
2/19 Asteroid 3 Juno is stationary today; a minimum lunar libration
of 1.0 degrees occurs at 7:00; Moon is at perigee, subtending 33'04"
from a distance of 361,434 kilometers, at 10:00; Venus is 2.0 degrees
south of the Moon at 17:00
2/20 Mercury is at its greatest heliocentric latitude north today
2/23 Mercury is in inferior conjunction at 5:00; the Moon is 1.0
degree north of the bright open cluster M45 (the Pleiades) in Taurus -
occultations of some of the Pleiads (the bright stars of the
Pleiades) are visible from northwestern Europe and northeastern North
America - at 23:00
2/24 First Quarter Moon occurs at 7:56
2/25 A maximum lunar libration of 9.2 degrees occurs at 17:00
During the first half of the month, the zodiacal light can be seen in
the western sky after sunset from dark sites.
The Moon is at its greatest northern declination of +29 degrees on
February 25 and its greatest southern declination of -29 degrees on
February 13. It is 12.8 days old at 0:00 UT on February 1. Times
and dates for the lunar light rays predicted to occur this month are
available at www.lunar-occultations.com/rlo/rays/rays.htm
Brightness, apparent size, illumination, distance from the Earth in
astronomical units, and location data for the planets and Pluto on
February 1: Mercury (-0.9 magnitude, 5.9", 78% illuminated, 1.1 a.u.,
Aquarius), Venus (-3.9 magnitude, 11.0", 92% illuminated, 1.5 a.u.,
Aquarius), Mars (1.4 magnitude, 4.2", 97% illuminated, 2.2 a.u.,
Sagittarius), Jupiter (-1.9 magnitude, 33.9", 99% illuminated, 5.8
a.u., Ophiuchus), Saturn (0.0 magnitude, 20.2", 100% illuminated, 8.2
a.u., Leo), Uranus (5.9 magnitude, 3.4", 100% illuminated, 20.9 a.u.,
Aquarius), Neptune (8.0 magnitude, 2.2", 100% illuminated, 31.0 a.u.,
Capricornus), and Pluto (14.0 magnitude, 0.1", 100% illuminated, 31.9
a.u., Sagittarius).
During the evening, look for Mercury (early and midmonth), Venus, and
Uranus in the western sky and Saturn in the eastern sky. Saturn is
in the south at midnight. Mars and Jupiter are located in the
southeast and Saturn in the west in the morning.
Mercury undergoes one of its best evening apparitions of the year
during the first half of this month. When it reaches maximum eastern
elongation on February 7, Mercury shines at magnitude -0.7 and is
located 7 degrees to the lower right of Venus. It subtends 7", with
a 53% illuminated disk, and is visible for more than 1.5 hours after
the sunset. Mercury's apparent size increases by 1" as its phase
decreases from 78% to 56% during the first week of February. A week
later Mercury shrinks to a crescent and dims to magnitude 0.8. Not
long afterwards the speedy planet disappears into the Sun's glare.
Venus is approximately 19 degrees above the horizon on the first day
of February and 27 degrees on the last day of the month. Venus is 1
degree southeast of Lambda Aquarii (magnitude 3.8) on February 6.
Dim and small, Mars leaves Sagittarius and enters Capricornus on
February 25. It rises about 1.5 hours before sunrise and is a
somewhat difficult naked-eye target.
Jupiter rises at approximately 3:30 a.m. on February 1 and 2:00 a.m.
on February 28. Click on
skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/planets/article_107_1.asp
to determine transits of the central meridian by the Great Red
Spot. Data on the Galilean satellites is available at
skytonight.com/observing/objects/javascript/3307071.html
Saturn reaches opposition on February 10 and is therefore visible for
the entire night. Its rings span 46". Titan (magnitude 8.4) passes
north of Saturn on the nights of February 4 and February 20 and south
of it on the nights of February 11 and February 28. Eleventh
magnitude Iapetus, Saturn's unusual satellite, is located to the
south of Saturn on the night of February 13. For further information
on Saturn's satellites, browse
skytonight.com/observing/objects/javascript/3308506.html
Uranus and Venus are separated by only 0.7 degree on February 7. The
planetary duo is 5 degrees high at 7:00 p.m.
Since Neptune is in conjunction with the Sun on February 8, it is not
observable this month.
Pluto is positioned higher in the sky than Jupiter at dawn but
remains very difficult to observe in February.
Comet P/2001 Q2 (Petriew), a periodic comet that was discovered
serendipitously in 2001 by an amateur astronomer at a star party,
glides eastward through Pisces and into Cetus. On the evening of
February 4, it is located close to the Circlet of Pisces. The
eleventh magnitude comet has a period of 5.5 years and reaches
perihelion on February 24.
The "small solar system body" asteroid 7 Iris (magnitude 9.3) also
tracks eastward this month as it passes to the south of the Pleiades.