The February Sky

Paul Curtin

February heralds the return of Saturn. Unlike Mars, which can sometimes disappoint the untrained eye, Saturn is always a stunning sight in telescopes of all sizes. Increased observation trains the observer to discern details in the rings and among the bands of this planet. From year to year we can watch the inclination of the rings increase and decrease. This year the rings are well placed for observation. Saturn’s moons, though less obvious than Jupiter’s, can also be observed.

The far north is dominated by the faint constellations Camelopardlis and Lynx. Neither boasts particularly distinct patterns or bright stars. Observers interested in galaxies can test their star hopping skills in locating the few faint fuzzies hiding in this dark region.

To the south we find bright Castor and Pollux at the top of two parallel strings of stars. This is Gemini, a constellation containing a number of interesting double and variable stars. The twins also seem to be dipping their feet in the Milky Way, and, as expected, the southern part of Gemini contains a number of fine objects. Look for the open cluster M35 west and north of mu Geminorum.

Out of the Milky Way is the famous “clown face” nebula, NGC 2392, southeast of delta Geminorum. This object is often overlooked yet it can be an easy planetary to find in a dark sky.

South of Gemini are Canis Minor and Monoceros, a study in contrasts. Canis Minor, though it boasts Procyon, one of the brightest stars in the sky, has little else to offer the observer. Monoceros is an indistinct blob of scattered faint stars yet it contains a stunning array of open clusters and gaseous nebulae. Sweep this large section of the Milky Way with binoculars or a wide-field telescope. The Rosette, Cone, and Hubble’s Variable Nebula require very dark skies and good optics to view properly.

Following Orion is Canis Major, containing Sirius as well as a number of open clusters. Scan Canis Major and neighboring Puppis for M93, M41, and NGC 2477. Even more impressive are the beautiful star fields of southern Puppis. These continue into Carina, Vela, and Centaurus, all regions that abound in clusters and rich star clouds.

The Planets in February

Mercury is an evening object at midmonth.

Venus is very bright but somewhat low in the early morning sky.

Mars can be seen in the west after dusk. It is much fainter than in previous months and will not reveal much to the telescope.

Jupiter slowly advances into the evening sky by the end of February.

Saturn takes center stage this month. Look for it not far from M44 in Cancer.

Bibliography

Alexander, A. F., The Planet Saturn, New York: Dover, 1962.

Archinal, B. A., Hynes, S. J., Star Clusters, Richmond, Virginia: Willman-Bell, 2003.

Burnham, Robert Jr., Burnham's Celestial Handbook, New York: Dover, 1978.

Dobbins, T. A., Parker, D., Capen, C. F. Observing and Photographing the Solar System, Richmond, VA: Willman-Bell, 1992.

Jones, K.G. (ed.) Webb Society Deep-Sky Observers Handbook, Volume 3,. Hillside, NJ: Enslow Publishers, 1980.

Kepple, G. R., Sanner, G. W., The Night Sky Observers Guide, Richmond, Virginia: Willman-Bell, 1999.

Price, F. W. The Planet Observer’s Handbook, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1994.

Tirion, W., Rappaport, B., Remaklus, W., Uranometria Deep Sky Atlas, Richmond, Virginia: Willman-Bell, 2000.

Webb, T. W., Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes, New York: Dover, 1962.