February 2018 Sky Calendar
Feb 15, 2018 3:05:00 GMT
Post by Joe on Feb 15, 2018 3:05:00 GMT
CVAS Monthly Sky Calendar for February 2018
Venus – Venus can be found very low on the south-western horizon right after sunset. With it coming out of Superior Conjunction with the Sun last month it still is pretty close to the Sun and difficult to see most of the month. To start the month, it is up for less than ½ hour after sunset and being only 4° high at sunset. At month’s end this Venus will rise up some, being up for nearer to 1 hour after sunset and 10° high at sunset. Its phase for the month will be just under 100% with a size near 10 arc-seconds and a magnitude round -3.9 for the whole month.
Neptune – Neptune can be found low in the south-western evening skies as right after sunset. As it approaches conjunction with the Sun next month on the 4th, it is getting lower and lower and will be too near the Sun to see by month’s end. To start the month it will be up for 2 ½ hours after sunset but this time drops down to only 15 minutes by month’s end. During the month its size will be around 2.2 arc-seconds with a magnitude of 7.9.
Uranus – Uranus is best viewed also right after it gets dark enough out in the evening. It can be found in the S/SW skies after sunset for the whole month. But as it approaches conjunction with the Sun in a couple of months, it is gets lower as the month goes on. It is up for close to 6 hours to start the month, by months end it is up for less than 4 hours. During the month, its magnitude will around 5.8 with a diameter of 3.4 arc-seconds.
See is.gd/urnep/ for finder charts for Uranus and Neptune from Sky&Telescope.
Jupiter –Jupiter is best viewed in morning hours when it is highest up in southern skies. To start the month it is up for near 6 hours, by month’s end this increases to near 7 hours. During the month the size goes from 36 to 39 arc-seconds with a magnitude from -2.0 to -2.2 for the month.
Mars – Mars is best viewed this month in the morning hours when it is highest up in the southern skies an hour or two before sunrise. It is up around 4 ½ hours before sunrise for the month. It size is still pretty small, only being between 5.6 and 6.6 arc-seconds for the month, so seeing any real details on it will be difficult. Mars is getting easy to see with the naked eye, with its magnitude increases during the month going from 1.2 to 0.8. The first part of the month, Mars will be near to the star Antares, which means “Rival of Mars”. Antares red supergiant star with an average magnitude around 1.0. Does Anatares and Mars look like?
Saturn- For this month it can be found low on the SE horizon right before sunrise. To start the month it is up for around 2 hours before sunrise, being 18° high at sunrise. By month’s end this will increase to being 3 hours up before sunrise and 23° high at sunrise. The size of Saturn itself will be around 15 arc-seconds with a magnitude of near 0.6 for the month.
Right now Jupiter is in Libra where it will spend most of 2018. Mars starts the month in Scorpio and then passes into Ophiuchus where it is for most of the month. Saturn is in central Sagittarius where it will remain for all of 2018. So the next couple of months this will make a nice line up of the three plants in the morning sky.
Mercury – To start the month Mercury is in the morning skies but too close to the Sun as it approaches Superior Conjunction on the 17th. After it comes out of conjunction with the Sun, it might be possible to see very low on western horizon right after sunset right at month’s end when it will be up for about 40 minutes after sunset. At month’s end it size will be at 5.3 arc-seconds with a phase of 94% and a magnitude of -1.35.