There’s a picturesque early night scene at the beginning of February because the Moon passes dazzling Venus and fading Saturn.
Breathtaking Venus burns good all through February within the south-west quickly after sundown, within the midst of a blinding apparition. Mendacity shut by at the beginning of February is Saturn, in contrast a fading pressure that will likely be together with the Solar in March.
Initially of February, Venus lies round 30° excessive 40 minutes after sundown and will be seen towards a darkening sky an additional 40 minutes or so later, when its nonetheless nicely positioned some 25° up. The early night vista is enhanced by the presence of a younger crescent Moon, which lies between Venus and Saturn on 1 February after which lies above Venus on the next night.
Venus has two notable landmarks for this apparition, reaching its highest altitude within the sky on 7 February, and follows up every week later by showing at its brightest, a blinding magnitude –4.64. It is a nice likelihood to watch and picture the planet to attempt to discern elusive darkish marking in its thick environment, together with its ever-changing part because it heads again in direction of the Solar. Throughout the month Venus’ crescent slims from 37.5 to 14.8 %, its obvious diameter rising to 49 arcseconds by the tip of February.
Saturn, shining at magnitude +1.1 in Aquarius, is low within the south-west at the beginning of February. In moments of regular seeing a small telescope reveals Saturn’s magnificent rings are tilted by simply 2.8°, nicely on their option to being edge-on, as they are going to be on the ring-plane crossing on 23 March, which, sadly will likely be out of view.
