Sensational stargazing in February
February stargazing over Butler is fantastic for many reasons, but this year there’s a one-two-three punch of bright planets adding to the thrill!
If you live with the winter cold, don’t let that stop you. The loaded night sky is so worth bundling up for. If you’re not already in the darker countryside, try to get out there, but even with light-polluted skies, I know you’ll still like what you see.
If you were lucky enough to receive a telescope under the Christmas tree, now’s the time for it to see its first light. Too many folks wait until springtime to test-drive their new scopes. That’s a mistake! You'll miss out on so many wonderful celestial treasures, and if you wait until spring you’ll have to stay up later in the evening to begin your astronomical fun.
In February, Orion the Hunter and his posse of constellations are the main attraction, as far as I’m concerned. They start out in the southeast sky at nightfall and reach their peak altitude above the southern horizon by around 9 p.m.
The constellations surrounding Orion are Gemini the Twins, Canis Major and Minor (the big and little dogs respectively), Auriga the sheep-schlepping retired chariot driver, Taurus the Bull and Lepus the Rabbit. Without a doubt, Orion and his gang have the most extensive collection of bright stars assembled anywhere across the night sky in the Northern Hemisphere.
Within these winter shiners are great celestial targets. The best one is the Orion Nebula, easily spotted in Orion’s sword. Look below the three iconic bright stars in a row that make up Orion’s belt for a line of three fainter stars that depict his sword. Even with the naked eye in areas of light pollution you can see that the middle star in the sword is a bit fuzzy. This fuzzy star is the Orion Nebula, a vast cloud of hydrogen gas lit up like a fluorescent lamp by young stars gravitationally born inside it.
You can see a lot more detail through a small telescope or pair of binoculars, including four of these stars in a trapezoid pattern dubbed, appropriately, the Trapezium. Above, and a little to the right of Orion, is the constellation Taurus the Bull, home of the Pleiades star cluster. The Pleiades are also known as the “Seven Little Sisters.”
As bright as the winter stars are, they’re getting beat out for brightness by three planets: Venus, Jupiter and Mars. Venus is the very brightest and continues its proverbial role as the “evening star,” popping out in the southwest sky well before the end of evening twilight. That’s really the best time to view Venus through a telescope because it won’t be as glaring. However, don’t expect to see much, though, because Earth’s next-door neighbor is entirely surrounded by a thick cloud shroud. Venus is crescent-shaped. Both Venus and Mercury go through phases like our moon because their orbits around the sun lie within Earth’s orbit.
Among the great winter constellations in the southeastern evening sky are the very bright planets Jupiter and Mars. Jupiter is the brighter of the two, shining like crazy just above Orion in the constellation Taurus. It’s brighter than even the brightest of the winter stars. With even a small telescope, you can enjoy the show put on by Jupiter’s four brightest moons. They appear like little stars on either side of Jupiter’s disk and continually change their positions as they orbit the enormous planet. You may even see some of Jupiter’s cloud bands and maybe even the great red spot.
You can‘t miss Mars with its orange-red hue to the upper left of Orion, placed right in between the twins Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini. The first half of February is the best time to check out Mars with a telescope because Mars will be fainter and smaller as the month progresses. Mars is fun through a scope because it's the only other planet where you have a chance of seeing surface features like its northern polar cap and some of its vast basins and valleys.
Make sure you take long, continuous looks through your scope so your eyes can adjust to the light level in the eyepiece. Long looks are also good because atmospheric clarity can vary even on a minute-by-minute basis.
In the northern skies is the Big Dipper, the bright rear end and tail of the constellation Ursa Major, the Big Bear. The Big Dipper stands on its handle in the low north-northeast sky. In the high northwest, a giant upside-down “W” outlines the throne of the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen. The Queen is tied up in her throne because she bragged that she was more beautiful than Hera, the Queen of the Greek gods, as well as the wife and daughters of Poseidon, the god of the sea.
Depending on your latitude, you can see those constellations and a few others every night as they make a tight circle around the North Star Polaris that shines above the Earth’s north pole.
In the eastern sky, there are already signs of spring. The mighty constellation Leo the Lion is on the prowl westward. The chest and head of Leo resemble a backward question mark, with the moderately bright star Regulus marking the heart of the big cat. As early evening turns into late evening, it looks as if Leo is chasing the winter constellations toward the western horizon.
Don’t hibernate from winter stargazing, I think it’s the best!
Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and professional broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis/St. Paul. He is also the author of “Stars: a Month by Month Tour of the Constellations,” published by Adventure Publications and available at bookstores and at adventurepublications.net. Contact him at mikewlynch@comcast.net.
