Winter 2023-2024 offers excellent opportunities for observing the night sky. In February, there will be several celestial events to look out for. According to the Star Diary podcast by Sky at Night Magazine, from 5 to 11 February 2024, stargazers can expect to see a crescent Moon, the comet C 2021 S3 Pan STARRS, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Neptune. The hosts of the podcast also highlight the opportunity to observe the winter constellations and the Milky Way. Additionally, they mention the shadow transits of Io and Ganymede across Jupiter. It is important to exercise caution when observing the Sun and to use telescopes or binoculars for better visibility. The hosts recommend subscribing to the podcast and purchasing BBC Sky at Night Magazine for more information on upcoming celestial events [8bcafeb3].
To fully enjoy these celestial events, it is recommended to find a dark spot away from city lights and allow your eyes to adjust to the dark for about 30 minutes. Grab a warm blanket and get ready to be mesmerized by the celestial fireworks in the night sky. If you're considering buying a telescope during the holiday season, there are some tips to keep in mind. An article by The Sky Guy suggests considering your level of interest in astronomy and having a budget of at least $300 for a quality scope. The article also mentions the visibility of planets like Venus, Mercury, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter in the sky during December. Additionally, the Tallahassee Astronomical Society is offering a free planetarium show at the Challenger Learning Center. The Geminid meteor shower can be seen tonight, with up to 150 shooting stars visible. To observe the meteor shower, it is best to find a dark sky away from city lights and allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness for up to 40 minutes. Cloud cover varies across different cities, with clearer skies over Chicago, El Paso, and New York, and cloudier conditions over Seattle, Houston, and Atlanta. The Geminid meteor shower is unique because it is caused by the asteroid Phaethon, which has a tail made of sodium gas instead of dust like a comet. Astronomers are still trying to understand how Phaethon supplies the material for the meteor shower. Viewing a large part of the sky is recommended to see more meteors, as some may be faint and visible from the corner of your eye. It takes about 10 minutes for your color vision to adapt to darkness, while your night vision continues to improve for an hour or more. January's night sky will consist of two meteor showers, a plethora of planet sightings, and potential auroras. The month marks the predicted beginning of 'solar maximum,' our current solar cycle’s roughly 11-year height of activity. This means a boom in northern lights sightings, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says will likely extend from January to October 2024. January has a bounty of night-sky marvels you can see closer to home. From shooting stars to prime planet sightings, here’s what to watch for this month. The Quadrantids meteor shower will peak on January 4, with anywhere from 50 to 100 meteors per hour in the northern half of the sky. On January 9, a very thin crescent moon will appear low in the sky next to Mercury, Venus, and Mars. Venus will rise first, followed by Mercury and Mars. Mercury will reach its highest point in the morning sky on January 8. Mars will be less visible, and Venus will remain a morning beacon until May 2024. Observers are advised to take precautions when using binoculars or telescopes to avoid looking in the direction of the rising sun. This event is a great opportunity to observe the moon and planets in the night sky. The wolf moon, the largest full moon of the year, will also appear on January 25. It is called the wolf moon because it typically occurs in January and represents the harshness of winter. Sky gazers are advised to find a dark spot with a clear view of the relevant horizons to observe the planet parade.
On January 9, a thin crescent moon will gather in the sky with three planets: Mercury, Venus, and Mars. Venus will shine the brightest during the morning twilight. Mars will be less visible and require binoculars to see. Mercury will be bright at around magnitude zero. Venus will rise first, followed by Mercury and then Mars. The planets will appear close to where the Sun will be rising, so it is important to avoid looking directly at the Sun to protect your eyes. The event can be observed without an optical aid in areas with low light pollution. The gathering of planets will be visible in North America and some regions of South America. Mercury reached its highest point in the morning sky on January 8 and Mars will be hard to spot on January 9. Venus will remain visible in the morning sky until May 2024 and will reappear as an evening apparition in June 2024.
On Tuesday morning, a rare celestial event will occur as the moon aligns with the planets Venus, Mercury, Mars, and Sirius. Venus will be the most prominent planet, while Mars may require binoculars for a better view. Mercury, although not as bright as Venus, may still be visible in certain areas with minimal light pollution. The alignment will be visible before sunrise, with Venus appearing first, followed by Mercury and then Mars. To optimize the viewing experience, experts recommend finding a location away from tall trees or mountains that may obstruct the view of the sky and reducing light pollution by venturing outside of cities or urban areas. NASA provides valuable tips and highlights for stargazing and sky-watching. The event is set to be awe-inspiring and a testament to the grandeur of the universe. On January 29, 2024, Sirius, the night's brightest star, will rise in the east-southeast at sunset. It will be visible low on the horizon in the Orion region of the sky. Sirius is part of Canis Major, the Greater Dog, and is less than ten light years away. It shines with the brightness of about 20 suns. Other bright stars visible tonight include Vega, Capella, Rigel, Procyon, Betelgeuse, and Aldebaran. Jupiter, brighter than Sirius, will be high in the south. The article also explains the seasonal westward march of the constellations and the movement of the planets against the fixed patterns of the stars. In February, binoculars can be used to spot various celestial objects in the night sky. Some notable objects include the Pleiades star cluster, Aldebaran, the Hyades cluster, the Great Nebula in Orion's sword, the Beehive Cluster in Cancer, the Andromeda Galaxy, Canopus, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Mars, and the moon. The article also mentions the visibility of the Milky Way and the zodiacal light in dark locations. The Astronomical Society of the Desert will host star parties in February, and there is a major solar eclipse coming on April 8, 2024.
Before sunrise on February 21, 2024, Venus is on its final approach to Mars, leading to their conjunction tomorrow morning. Jupiter and the moon are visible after sundown. Two hours before sunrise, the gibbous moon is low in the west-northwest, 5.0° to the upper left of Pollux. Venus rises in the east-southeast sixty-eight minutes before sunrise and is less than 5° above the horizon by forty minutes before sunup. Venus steps eastward in front of Capricornus, with Mars visible 0.7° below Venus through a binocular. Mercury nears superior conjunction on the far side of the sun and is not easily visible. Saturn sets less than 30 minutes after the sun. The bright gibbous moon, 95% illuminated, is less than halfway up in the east and appears farther westward during the night. Bright Jupiter is about halfway up in the southwest as darkness falls and sets in the west-northwest before midnight, over five hours after sundown. [5e6c741f]
This week is a great time for stargazing as the skies are dark and ideal for picking out constellations. A crescent moon can be seen both before sunrise and after sunset. On Monday, February 5, a 25%-lit waning crescent moon will be visible near Antares, a red supergiant star in the constellation Scorpius. On Wednesday, February 7, a 9%-lit waning crescent moon will be visible below Venus. On Thursday, February 8, it will be two months until the 'Great American Eclipse,' a total solar eclipse in North America. On Friday, February 9, there will be a new moon, signaling Chinese New Year. On Sunday, February 11, a 6%-lit slim crescent moon will be visible in the southwestern sky just after sunset. The Pleiades, also known as the 'Seven Sisters,' is a group of stars located in the Taurus constellation and can be seen with the naked eye as a small, bright cluster. The Pleiades group contains seven main bright stars—Alcyone, Atlas, Electra, Maia, Merope, Taygeta, and Pleione. These stars are around 100 million years old and are surrounded by a cloud of gas and dust that lights up with the radiation from the stars. [24f58d35]
In the Southern Hemisphere, the night sky in February 2024 offers a different set of celestial wonders. An article by Sky at Night Magazine provides a guide to what can be seen in the Southern Hemisphere night sky. It includes monthly highlights, such as the crescent Moon next to planets, and provides information on stars, constellations, planets, and deep-sky objects. The article explains the spiral structure of the Milky Way and why some objects appear closer or farther away. It also mentions the positions and visibility of various planets throughout the month. Additionally, it highlights the constellation of Vela and provides details on specific stars and double stars in the region. The article concludes with links to Southern Hemisphere star charts for previous months [c9b5a2f0].
On March 28, 2024, the gibbous moon will be near the Scorpion's Claw before sunrise and near midnight. The moon will be about 20° above the southwest horizon, 4.5° to the lower right of Zubenelgenubi, the Scorpion's southern claw. It will also be over 20° to the upper left of Spica, Virgo's brightest star. Mars, Saturn, and Venus will be visible in the eastern sky before sunrise, with Mars rising first and Venus visible 15 minutes before sunrise. Mercury's brightness is fading after its best evening appearance of the year, and it can be seen in the western sky after sunset. Jupiter and Uranus can be seen together through a binocular, with Jupiter setting in the west-northwest about three hours after sundown. The moon, 86% illuminated, will rise around four hours after sunset and will be nearly 10° above the southeast horizon as the midnight hour approaches. [1c520567]
Sometime between now and September, a massive explosion 3,000 light years from Earth will flare up in the night sky, giving amateur astronomers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness this space oddity. The binary star system in the constellation Corona Borealis is normally too dim to see with the naked eye. But every 80 years or so, exchanges between its two stars spark a runaway nuclear explosion, making it appear as if a new star has suddenly popped up in our night sky for a few days. This event has been witnessed twice before, in