Post by Dave Mitsky on Feb 1, 2015 18:06:52 GMT
February Celestial Calendar by Dave Mitsky
All times, unless otherwise noted, are UT (subtract five hours and, when appropriate, one calendar day for EST)
2/1 Mercury is at its greatest heliocentric latitude north today; Venus is 0.8 degree south of Neptune at 11:00
2/3 Full Moon (known as the Hunger, Snow, or Storm Moon) occurs at 23:09
2/4 The astronomical cross-quarter day known as Imbolc or Candlemas occurs today; Jupiter is 5 degrees north of the Moon at 9:00
2/6 The Moon is at apogee, subtending 29' 25" from a distance of 406,150 kilometers (252,370 miles), at 6:00; Jupiter (apparent size 45.3", magnitude -2.6) is at opposition at 18:00
2/11 Mercury is stationary at 7:00
2/12 Last Quarter Moon occurs at 3:50; the Curtiss Cross, an X-shaped clair-obscure illumination effect located between the craters Parry and Gambart, is predicted to occur at 16:07
2/13 Saturn is 2 degrees south of the Moon at 0:00
2/15 Asteroid 8 Flora (magnitude +8.8) is at opposition at 11:00
2/17 Mercury is 3 degrees south of the Moon at 6:00
2/18 New Moon (lunation 1140) occurs at 23:47
2/19 The Moon is at perigee, subtending 33' 28" from a distance of 356,994 kilometers (221,826 miles), at 7:00
2/21 Venus is 2 degrees south of the Moon at 1:00; Mars is 1.5 degrees south of the Moon at 1:00; Venus is 0.5 degree south of Mars at 20:00; Uranus is 0.3 degree south of the Moon, with an occultation visible from Mexico, most of the United States, and northern Polynesia, at 22:00
2/24 Mercury is at the descending node today; Mercury reaches greatest western elongation (27 degrees) at 16:00
2/25 First Quarter Moon occurs at 17:14; the Moon is 1.0 degrees north of the first-magnitude star Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri), with an occultation visible from far northern Russia, Scandinavia, Iceland, Greenland, northwestern Canada, and Alaska, at 23:00
2/26 The Lunar X (the Purbach or Werner Cross), an X-shaped clair-obscure illumination effect involving various rims and ridges between the craters La Caille, Blanchinus, and Purbach, is predicted to occur at 4:22; Neptune is in conjunction with the Sun at 5:00; a double Galilean shadow transit (Europa’s shadow follows Callisto’s shadow) begins at 19:36
Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543), Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), and Clyde Tombaugh (1906-1997) were born this month.
Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto on February 18, 1930. Gerald Kuiper discovered the Uranian satellite Miranda (magnitude +15.8) on February 16, 1948. Supernova 1987A was discovered by Ian Shelton, Oscar Duhalde, and Albert Jones on February 23, 1987. PSR B1919+21, the first pulsar, was discovered by Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Antony Hewish on February 24, 1967.
The zodiacal light is visible in the western sky about 80 minutes after sunset from dark locations and is best seen from February 6th to February 20th.
Information on Iridium flares and passes of the ISS, the Tiangong-1, the USAF’s X-37B, the HST, and other satellites can be found at www.heavens-above.com/
The Moon is 11.4 days old, is illuminated 91.9%, and is located in the constellation of Gemini at 0:00 UT on February 1st. The Moon is at its greatest northern declination of +18.3 degrees on February 27th and its greatest southern declination of -18.4 degrees on February 14th. Longitudinal libration is at a maximum of +7.3 degrees on February 25th and a minimum of -8.0 degrees on February 13th. Latitudinal libration is at a maximum of +6.6 degrees on February 1st and +6.8 degrees on February 28th and a minimum of -6.7 degrees on February 15th. New Moon occurs on February 18th. Large tides occur on February 19th through February 22nd. The Moon is at apogee on February 6th and at perigee on February 19th. Browse www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/ for information on upcoming lunar occultations. Visit saberdoesthestars.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/saber-does-the-stars/ for tips on spotting extreme crescent Moons. Times and dates for the lunar light rays predicted to occur this month are available at www.lunar-occultations.com/rlo/rays/rays.htm
The Sun is located in the constellation of Capricornus on February 1st.
Brightness, apparent size, illumination, distance from the Earth in astronomical units, and location data for the planets and Pluto on February 1: Mercury (magnitude +4.7, 10.3", 2% illuminated, 0.66 a.u., Capricornus), Venus (magnitude -3.9, 11.0", 92% illuminated, 1.51 a.u., Aquarius), Mars (magnitude +1.2, 4.4", 96% illuminated, 2.11 a.u., Aquarius), Jupiter (magnitude -2.6, 45.3", 100% illuminated, 4.35 a.u., Leo), Saturn (magnitude +0.5, 16.2", 100% illuminated, 10.28 a.u., Scorpius), Uranus (magnitude +5.9, 3.4", 100% illuminated, 20.65 a.u. on February 15th, Pisces), Neptune (magnitude +8.0, 2.2", 100% illuminated, 30.94 a.u. on February 15th, Aquarius), and Pluto (magnitude +14.2, 0.1", 100% illuminated, 33.55 a.u. on February 15th, Sagittarius).
Venus, Mars, and Neptune can be seen in the west, Jupiter in the east, and Uranus in the southwest in the evening sky. Jupiter is in the south at midnight. Mercury lies in the southeast, Jupiter in the west, and Saturn in the south in the morning sky.
At midmonth, Mercury is visible during morning twilight, Venus sets at 8:00 p.m., Mars sets at 8:00 p.m., Jupiter is visible for the entire night, and Saturn rises at 2:00 a.m. local time for observers at latitude 40 degrees north.
Mercury can be seen in the morning sky from February 6th to February 28th. It is stationary on February 11th and is three degrees south of the waning crescent Moon on February 17th. The speediest planet is at the descending node and reaches greatest western elongation on February 24th. Since Mercury (magnitude 0.0) is situated only four degrees above the southeastern horizon 45 minutes prior to sunrise, this is not a favorable apparition for northern hemisphere observers.
Venus is two degrees south of the waxing crescent Moon on the evening of February 20th. From February 20th to February 23rd, Venus (apparent size 11.8", magnitude -3.9) and Mars (apparent size 4.2", magnitude +1.3) are less than one degree apart. The Red Planet is over 100 times fainter. Venus passes 26 arc minutes south of Mars on February 21st, the closest of three conjunctions of the two planets occurring this year. A slender crescent Moon lies 14 degrees above the two planets on that date.
A very tiny Mars departs Aquarius and enters Pisces on February 10th. Mars and Venus are separated by less than two degrees from February 17th to February 26th. On the evening of February 20th, the Moon passes 1.5 degrees north of Mars for observers in North America.
Jupiter comes to opposition in Cancer at 18:00 UT (1:00 p.m. EST) on February 6th and will be visible for the entire night. On that date, the king of the planets shines at magnitude -2.6, spans 45.4 arc seconds at its equator, and is 36 light minutes or 4.34 a.u. from the Earth. Tips for observing Jupiter can be found on page 52 of the February issue of Sky & Telescope. Jupiter lies five degrees north of the Moon on the morning of February 4th. Mutual events of the Jovian moons visible from North America take place on February 2nd, February 4th, February 9th, February 11th, February 15th, February 18th, February 20th, February 22nd, February 24th, and February 27th. Over a six hour period on the night of February 26th/27th, four events involving Jupiter’s satellites Io, Ganymede, and Callisto take place. Io occults Ganymede from 9:17 p.m. EST to 9:24 p.m. EST. Europa emerges out of Jupiter’s shadow to the east of the planet at 10:23 p.m. EST. Io then eclipses Ganymede for ten minutes beginning at 10:31 p.m. EST. Callisto’s shadow covers Ganymede for 11 minutes starting at 11:28 p.m. EST. At 2:49 a.m. EST, Callisto eclipses Io for 12 minutes. For further information on these events, consult page 53 of the February issue of Sky & Telescope. Click on www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/interactive-sky-watching-tools/ or consult page 51 of the February issue of Sky & Telescope to determine transit times of the central meridian by the Great Red Spot. Data on Galilean satellite events is available online at www.shallowsky.com/jupiter/ and www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/interactive-sky-watching-tools/ and on page 51 of the February issue of Sky & Telescope.
Saturn lies nine degrees northwest of the first-magnitude star Antares on the first of the month. By the end of February, Saturn is located 0.4 degree due north of the fourth-magnitude multiple star Nu Scorpii. At mid-month, Saturn's rings span 38 arc seconds and are inclined 25 degrees from edge-on. As the month ends, Saturn rises around 1:00 a.m. local time. Saturn is two degrees south of the Moon on the evening of February 12th. Eight-magnitude Titan lies north of Saturn on February 13th. For information on the satellites of Saturn, browse www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/interactive-sky-watching-tools/
Uranus lies within some four degrees of Venus as February ends. It is occulted by the Moon on February 21st, an event that will be visible for most of the United States and Mexico.
Neptune is in conjunction with the Sun on February 26th and thus is not visible for most of this month.
Finder charts for Uranus and Neptune can be found at www.skyandtelescope.com/wp-content/uploads/WEB_Uranus_Neptune_2014.pdf and on page 51 of the September 2014 issue of Sky & Telescope. See www.curtrenz.com/uranep.html for additional information on the two outer planets.
The dwarf planet Pluto is not readily observable during February.
For more on the planets and how to locate them, browse www.nakedeyeplanets.com/
The bright comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) passes less than one degree east of the colorful second-magnitude multiple star Almach (Gamma Andromedae) and three degrees west of the edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 891 (magnitude +10.8) on February 4th. Unfortunately, moonlight from a nearly Full Moon will compromise observations of this Oort cloud comet. That will not be the case on February 18th, when Comet Lovejoy is positioned less than 0.5 degree west of the fourth-magnitude star Phi Persei. On February 20th, the comet passes just to the west of the planetary nebula M76 (magnitude +10.1). Visit cometchasing.skyhound.com/ and www.curtrenz.com/comets for additional information on Comet Lovejoy and other comets visible this month.
Asteroid 3 Juno shines at eighth-magnitude as it travels northwestward through Hydra. It enters Cancer at mid-month. At the end of the month, 3 Juno passes one degree southwest of Beta Cancri (magnitude +3.5). Asteroid 8 Flora (magnitude +8.8) reaches opposition in the Sickle of Leo (10h03m00s, +18°23') on February 15th. Other asteroids coming to opposition this month include 71 Niobe (magnitude +10.6) on February 4th, 89 Julia (magnitude +10.5) on February 5th, 58 Concordia (magnitude +12.3) on February 16th, 38 Leda (magnitude +11.5) on February 17th, and 76 Freia (magnitude +12.2) on February 28th.
A wealth of current information on solar system celestial bodies is posted at www.curtrenz.com/astronomical
Browse astrocast.tv/ for an informative video on astronomical events taking place this month.
Free star maps for February can be downloaded at www.skymaps.com/downloads.html and www.telescope.com/content.jsp?pageName=Monthly-Star-Chart
The famous eclipsing variable star Algol (Beta Persei) is at a minimum, decreasing in magnitude from 2.1 to 3.4, on February 2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, 20th, 22nd, 25th, and 28th. Consult www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/interactive-sky-watching-tools/ or page 51 of the February issue of Sky & Telescope for the times of the eclipses. For more on Algol, see stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/Algol.html and www.solstation.com/stars2/algol3.htm
Forty binary and multiple stars for February: 41 Aurigae, Struve 872, Otto Struve 147, Struve 929, 56 Aurigae (Auriga); Nu-1 Canis Majoris, 17 Canis Majoris, Pi Canis Majoris, Mu Canis Majoris, h3945, Tau Canis Majoris (Canis Major); Struve 1095, Struve 1103, Struve 1149, 14 Canis Minoris (Canis Minor); 20 Geminorum, 38 Geminorum, Alpha Geminorum (Castor), 15 Geminorum, Lambda Geminorum, Delta Geminorum, Struve 1108, Kappa Geminorum (Gemini); 5 Lyncis, 12 Lyncis, 19 Lyncis, Struve 968, Struve 1025 (Lynx); Epsilon Monocerotis, Beta Monocerotis, 15 (S) Monocerotis (Monoceros); Struve 855 (Orion); Struve 1104, k Puppis, 5 Puppis (Puppis)
Notable carbon star for February: BL Orionis (Orion)
Fifty deep-sky objects for February: NGC 2146, NGC 2403 (Camelopardalis); M41, NGC 2345, NGC 2359, NGC 2360, NGC 2362, NGC 2367, NGC 2383 (Canis Major); M35, NGC 2129, NGC 2158, NGC 2266, NGC 2355, NGC 2371-72, NGC 2392, NGC 2420 (Gemini); NGC 2419 (Lynx); M50, NGC 2232, NGC 2237, NGC 2238, NGC 2244, NGC 2245, NGC 2251, NGC 2261, NGC 2264, NGC 2286, NGC 2301, NGC 2311, NGC 2324, NGC 2335, NGC 2345, NGC 2346, NGC 2353 (Monoceros); NGC 2169, NGC 2174, NGC 2194 (Orion); M46, M47, M93, Mel 71, NGC 2421, NGC 2423, NGC 2438, NGC 2439, NGC 2440, NGC 2467, NGC 2506, NGC 2509 (Puppis)
Top ten binocular deep-sky objects for February: M35, M41, M46, M47, M50, M93, NGC 2244, NGC 2264, NGC 2301, NGC 2360
Top ten deep-sky objects for February: M35, M41, M46, M47, M50, M93, NGC 2261, NGC 2362, NGC 2392, NGC 2403
Challenge deep-sky object for February: IC 443 (Gemini)
The objects listed above are located between 6:00 and 8:00 hours of right ascension.
All times, unless otherwise noted, are UT (subtract five hours and, when appropriate, one calendar day for EST)
2/1 Mercury is at its greatest heliocentric latitude north today; Venus is 0.8 degree south of Neptune at 11:00
2/3 Full Moon (known as the Hunger, Snow, or Storm Moon) occurs at 23:09
2/4 The astronomical cross-quarter day known as Imbolc or Candlemas occurs today; Jupiter is 5 degrees north of the Moon at 9:00
2/6 The Moon is at apogee, subtending 29' 25" from a distance of 406,150 kilometers (252,370 miles), at 6:00; Jupiter (apparent size 45.3", magnitude -2.6) is at opposition at 18:00
2/11 Mercury is stationary at 7:00
2/12 Last Quarter Moon occurs at 3:50; the Curtiss Cross, an X-shaped clair-obscure illumination effect located between the craters Parry and Gambart, is predicted to occur at 16:07
2/13 Saturn is 2 degrees south of the Moon at 0:00
2/15 Asteroid 8 Flora (magnitude +8.8) is at opposition at 11:00
2/17 Mercury is 3 degrees south of the Moon at 6:00
2/18 New Moon (lunation 1140) occurs at 23:47
2/19 The Moon is at perigee, subtending 33' 28" from a distance of 356,994 kilometers (221,826 miles), at 7:00
2/21 Venus is 2 degrees south of the Moon at 1:00; Mars is 1.5 degrees south of the Moon at 1:00; Venus is 0.5 degree south of Mars at 20:00; Uranus is 0.3 degree south of the Moon, with an occultation visible from Mexico, most of the United States, and northern Polynesia, at 22:00
2/24 Mercury is at the descending node today; Mercury reaches greatest western elongation (27 degrees) at 16:00
2/25 First Quarter Moon occurs at 17:14; the Moon is 1.0 degrees north of the first-magnitude star Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri), with an occultation visible from far northern Russia, Scandinavia, Iceland, Greenland, northwestern Canada, and Alaska, at 23:00
2/26 The Lunar X (the Purbach or Werner Cross), an X-shaped clair-obscure illumination effect involving various rims and ridges between the craters La Caille, Blanchinus, and Purbach, is predicted to occur at 4:22; Neptune is in conjunction with the Sun at 5:00; a double Galilean shadow transit (Europa’s shadow follows Callisto’s shadow) begins at 19:36
Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543), Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), and Clyde Tombaugh (1906-1997) were born this month.
Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto on February 18, 1930. Gerald Kuiper discovered the Uranian satellite Miranda (magnitude +15.8) on February 16, 1948. Supernova 1987A was discovered by Ian Shelton, Oscar Duhalde, and Albert Jones on February 23, 1987. PSR B1919+21, the first pulsar, was discovered by Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Antony Hewish on February 24, 1967.
The zodiacal light is visible in the western sky about 80 minutes after sunset from dark locations and is best seen from February 6th to February 20th.
Information on Iridium flares and passes of the ISS, the Tiangong-1, the USAF’s X-37B, the HST, and other satellites can be found at www.heavens-above.com/
The Moon is 11.4 days old, is illuminated 91.9%, and is located in the constellation of Gemini at 0:00 UT on February 1st. The Moon is at its greatest northern declination of +18.3 degrees on February 27th and its greatest southern declination of -18.4 degrees on February 14th. Longitudinal libration is at a maximum of +7.3 degrees on February 25th and a minimum of -8.0 degrees on February 13th. Latitudinal libration is at a maximum of +6.6 degrees on February 1st and +6.8 degrees on February 28th and a minimum of -6.7 degrees on February 15th. New Moon occurs on February 18th. Large tides occur on February 19th through February 22nd. The Moon is at apogee on February 6th and at perigee on February 19th. Browse www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/ for information on upcoming lunar occultations. Visit saberdoesthestars.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/saber-does-the-stars/ for tips on spotting extreme crescent Moons. Times and dates for the lunar light rays predicted to occur this month are available at www.lunar-occultations.com/rlo/rays/rays.htm
The Sun is located in the constellation of Capricornus on February 1st.
Brightness, apparent size, illumination, distance from the Earth in astronomical units, and location data for the planets and Pluto on February 1: Mercury (magnitude +4.7, 10.3", 2% illuminated, 0.66 a.u., Capricornus), Venus (magnitude -3.9, 11.0", 92% illuminated, 1.51 a.u., Aquarius), Mars (magnitude +1.2, 4.4", 96% illuminated, 2.11 a.u., Aquarius), Jupiter (magnitude -2.6, 45.3", 100% illuminated, 4.35 a.u., Leo), Saturn (magnitude +0.5, 16.2", 100% illuminated, 10.28 a.u., Scorpius), Uranus (magnitude +5.9, 3.4", 100% illuminated, 20.65 a.u. on February 15th, Pisces), Neptune (magnitude +8.0, 2.2", 100% illuminated, 30.94 a.u. on February 15th, Aquarius), and Pluto (magnitude +14.2, 0.1", 100% illuminated, 33.55 a.u. on February 15th, Sagittarius).
Venus, Mars, and Neptune can be seen in the west, Jupiter in the east, and Uranus in the southwest in the evening sky. Jupiter is in the south at midnight. Mercury lies in the southeast, Jupiter in the west, and Saturn in the south in the morning sky.
At midmonth, Mercury is visible during morning twilight, Venus sets at 8:00 p.m., Mars sets at 8:00 p.m., Jupiter is visible for the entire night, and Saturn rises at 2:00 a.m. local time for observers at latitude 40 degrees north.
Mercury can be seen in the morning sky from February 6th to February 28th. It is stationary on February 11th and is three degrees south of the waning crescent Moon on February 17th. The speediest planet is at the descending node and reaches greatest western elongation on February 24th. Since Mercury (magnitude 0.0) is situated only four degrees above the southeastern horizon 45 minutes prior to sunrise, this is not a favorable apparition for northern hemisphere observers.
Venus is two degrees south of the waxing crescent Moon on the evening of February 20th. From February 20th to February 23rd, Venus (apparent size 11.8", magnitude -3.9) and Mars (apparent size 4.2", magnitude +1.3) are less than one degree apart. The Red Planet is over 100 times fainter. Venus passes 26 arc minutes south of Mars on February 21st, the closest of three conjunctions of the two planets occurring this year. A slender crescent Moon lies 14 degrees above the two planets on that date.
A very tiny Mars departs Aquarius and enters Pisces on February 10th. Mars and Venus are separated by less than two degrees from February 17th to February 26th. On the evening of February 20th, the Moon passes 1.5 degrees north of Mars for observers in North America.
Jupiter comes to opposition in Cancer at 18:00 UT (1:00 p.m. EST) on February 6th and will be visible for the entire night. On that date, the king of the planets shines at magnitude -2.6, spans 45.4 arc seconds at its equator, and is 36 light minutes or 4.34 a.u. from the Earth. Tips for observing Jupiter can be found on page 52 of the February issue of Sky & Telescope. Jupiter lies five degrees north of the Moon on the morning of February 4th. Mutual events of the Jovian moons visible from North America take place on February 2nd, February 4th, February 9th, February 11th, February 15th, February 18th, February 20th, February 22nd, February 24th, and February 27th. Over a six hour period on the night of February 26th/27th, four events involving Jupiter’s satellites Io, Ganymede, and Callisto take place. Io occults Ganymede from 9:17 p.m. EST to 9:24 p.m. EST. Europa emerges out of Jupiter’s shadow to the east of the planet at 10:23 p.m. EST. Io then eclipses Ganymede for ten minutes beginning at 10:31 p.m. EST. Callisto’s shadow covers Ganymede for 11 minutes starting at 11:28 p.m. EST. At 2:49 a.m. EST, Callisto eclipses Io for 12 minutes. For further information on these events, consult page 53 of the February issue of Sky & Telescope. Click on www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/interactive-sky-watching-tools/ or consult page 51 of the February issue of Sky & Telescope to determine transit times of the central meridian by the Great Red Spot. Data on Galilean satellite events is available online at www.shallowsky.com/jupiter/ and www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/interactive-sky-watching-tools/ and on page 51 of the February issue of Sky & Telescope.
Saturn lies nine degrees northwest of the first-magnitude star Antares on the first of the month. By the end of February, Saturn is located 0.4 degree due north of the fourth-magnitude multiple star Nu Scorpii. At mid-month, Saturn's rings span 38 arc seconds and are inclined 25 degrees from edge-on. As the month ends, Saturn rises around 1:00 a.m. local time. Saturn is two degrees south of the Moon on the evening of February 12th. Eight-magnitude Titan lies north of Saturn on February 13th. For information on the satellites of Saturn, browse www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/interactive-sky-watching-tools/
Uranus lies within some four degrees of Venus as February ends. It is occulted by the Moon on February 21st, an event that will be visible for most of the United States and Mexico.
Neptune is in conjunction with the Sun on February 26th and thus is not visible for most of this month.
Finder charts for Uranus and Neptune can be found at www.skyandtelescope.com/wp-content/uploads/WEB_Uranus_Neptune_2014.pdf and on page 51 of the September 2014 issue of Sky & Telescope. See www.curtrenz.com/uranep.html for additional information on the two outer planets.
The dwarf planet Pluto is not readily observable during February.
For more on the planets and how to locate them, browse www.nakedeyeplanets.com/
The bright comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) passes less than one degree east of the colorful second-magnitude multiple star Almach (Gamma Andromedae) and three degrees west of the edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 891 (magnitude +10.8) on February 4th. Unfortunately, moonlight from a nearly Full Moon will compromise observations of this Oort cloud comet. That will not be the case on February 18th, when Comet Lovejoy is positioned less than 0.5 degree west of the fourth-magnitude star Phi Persei. On February 20th, the comet passes just to the west of the planetary nebula M76 (magnitude +10.1). Visit cometchasing.skyhound.com/ and www.curtrenz.com/comets for additional information on Comet Lovejoy and other comets visible this month.
Asteroid 3 Juno shines at eighth-magnitude as it travels northwestward through Hydra. It enters Cancer at mid-month. At the end of the month, 3 Juno passes one degree southwest of Beta Cancri (magnitude +3.5). Asteroid 8 Flora (magnitude +8.8) reaches opposition in the Sickle of Leo (10h03m00s, +18°23') on February 15th. Other asteroids coming to opposition this month include 71 Niobe (magnitude +10.6) on February 4th, 89 Julia (magnitude +10.5) on February 5th, 58 Concordia (magnitude +12.3) on February 16th, 38 Leda (magnitude +11.5) on February 17th, and 76 Freia (magnitude +12.2) on February 28th.
A wealth of current information on solar system celestial bodies is posted at www.curtrenz.com/astronomical
Browse astrocast.tv/ for an informative video on astronomical events taking place this month.
Free star maps for February can be downloaded at www.skymaps.com/downloads.html and www.telescope.com/content.jsp?pageName=Monthly-Star-Chart
The famous eclipsing variable star Algol (Beta Persei) is at a minimum, decreasing in magnitude from 2.1 to 3.4, on February 2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, 20th, 22nd, 25th, and 28th. Consult www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/interactive-sky-watching-tools/ or page 51 of the February issue of Sky & Telescope for the times of the eclipses. For more on Algol, see stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/Algol.html and www.solstation.com/stars2/algol3.htm
Forty binary and multiple stars for February: 41 Aurigae, Struve 872, Otto Struve 147, Struve 929, 56 Aurigae (Auriga); Nu-1 Canis Majoris, 17 Canis Majoris, Pi Canis Majoris, Mu Canis Majoris, h3945, Tau Canis Majoris (Canis Major); Struve 1095, Struve 1103, Struve 1149, 14 Canis Minoris (Canis Minor); 20 Geminorum, 38 Geminorum, Alpha Geminorum (Castor), 15 Geminorum, Lambda Geminorum, Delta Geminorum, Struve 1108, Kappa Geminorum (Gemini); 5 Lyncis, 12 Lyncis, 19 Lyncis, Struve 968, Struve 1025 (Lynx); Epsilon Monocerotis, Beta Monocerotis, 15 (S) Monocerotis (Monoceros); Struve 855 (Orion); Struve 1104, k Puppis, 5 Puppis (Puppis)
Notable carbon star for February: BL Orionis (Orion)
Fifty deep-sky objects for February: NGC 2146, NGC 2403 (Camelopardalis); M41, NGC 2345, NGC 2359, NGC 2360, NGC 2362, NGC 2367, NGC 2383 (Canis Major); M35, NGC 2129, NGC 2158, NGC 2266, NGC 2355, NGC 2371-72, NGC 2392, NGC 2420 (Gemini); NGC 2419 (Lynx); M50, NGC 2232, NGC 2237, NGC 2238, NGC 2244, NGC 2245, NGC 2251, NGC 2261, NGC 2264, NGC 2286, NGC 2301, NGC 2311, NGC 2324, NGC 2335, NGC 2345, NGC 2346, NGC 2353 (Monoceros); NGC 2169, NGC 2174, NGC 2194 (Orion); M46, M47, M93, Mel 71, NGC 2421, NGC 2423, NGC 2438, NGC 2439, NGC 2440, NGC 2467, NGC 2506, NGC 2509 (Puppis)
Top ten binocular deep-sky objects for February: M35, M41, M46, M47, M50, M93, NGC 2244, NGC 2264, NGC 2301, NGC 2360
Top ten deep-sky objects for February: M35, M41, M46, M47, M50, M93, NGC 2261, NGC 2362, NGC 2392, NGC 2403
Challenge deep-sky object for February: IC 443 (Gemini)
The objects listed above are located between 6:00 and 8:00 hours of right ascension.