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Starwatch NewsletterMinnesota Starwatch is a newsletter describing the night sky in the Midwest.
It is updated monthly, and is produced by the |
Minnesota Starwatch for February 2010
This month starts with a last quarter moon on the 5th, a new moon appears on the 13th, first quarter moon is on the 21st, and a full moon is on the 28th. The moon will be furthest from the earth (apogee) when it is a new moon on the 13th and closest to the earth (perigee) when it is nearly a full moon on the 27th.
This month, Mars and Saturn will be the easiest of the brightest planets to observe.
The earth has just passed Mars in its orbit, so Mars is rising in the east as the sun is setting in the west. As the month progresses, Mars is higher and higher in the sky at sunset. Mars will be highest in the sky around midnight. Mars starts the month at its brightest and gets fainter with each passing week as the Earth overtakes Mars in its orbit, leaving it further and further behind.
Saturn is rising in the east later in the evening, around 9:30 pm at the beginning of the month and as early as 7:30 in the evening by the end of the month. Although Mars will be the brighter of the two, Saturn will still be one of the brightest objects in the sky.
Venus and Jupiter are so close to the sun in projection that it will be very difficult to see either of them before they set, right after sunset. With an excellent western horizon it will be possible to see them both immediately after sunset, but a clear horizon will be required. If you are lucky enough to see them, they inch closer to each other through the first two weeks of the month until they are separated by less than one degree on the evening of the 16th. Venus will clearly be the brighter of the two. On the evening of the 14th a very thin crescent moon accompanies them on the western horizon.
At the beginning of the month, Mercury rises in the east about a half hour before the sun, but by the end of the month Mercury is too close to the sun to be observable. Most people have never seen Mercury because it is never very far away from the sun. If you are awake early on the mornings of the 11th and 12th, you can find Mercury not too far away from the crescent moon. On the 11th the moon will be higher in the sky, and on the 12th the moon will be lower in the sky than Mercury. Binoculars and a very clear eastern horizon will be required for this observing, so plan ahead if you're motivated to see this sight.
February 18th marks the 80th anniversary of the discovery of Pluto. Although Pluto was demoted from planet status to dwarf planet status by the International Astronomical Union in 2007, it is still a favorite member of our solar system for many people. Pluto is observable in the early evening sky, but a telescope of significant size is required.
With the start of the Spring Semester comes the return of free Public Viewing Nights on top of the Tate Lab of Physics in the heart of the U of M East Bank Campus. Every Friday we host a presentation on a special topic (even if the weather is bad) followed by observing with our historical 10.5" telescope if the skies are clear. For more information, including the schedule and list of weekly topics, visit www.astro.umn.edu/outreach/pubnight.
The Como Planetarium in St. Paul's Como Park offers limited star shows. For more information, call (651) 293-5398 or check their website at www.planetarium.spps.org. If you're interested in how you can help build the new Minnesota Planetarium, please call (612) 630-6151 or visit www.mplanetarium.org.