Feature Article February 5, 2003
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A Planetary pair for February evenings and morningsby Leo EnrightAt the beginning of February, sunset is about 5:15 p.m., and by the end of the month it is about 5:50 p.m. Over the same period, the end of evening twilight moves from about 7:00 p.m. to about 7:30 p.m. The times of sunrise go from 7:30 a.m. on the 1st to 6:50 a.m. on the 28th -almost a minute and a half earlier each day. We have the ideal time of year to enjoy the great winter constellations. They are the Great Orion Grouping of bright stars that surround the mythical hunter as he proudly strides across the heavens. Very high in the south as twilight ends, it is easy to see the outline of Taurus the Bull, from a V-shaped configuration of stars sometimes called the Head of the Bull or the Hyades Cluster, a real grouping of stars that does somewhat resemble the head of a beast with two bright eyes, one of them, called Aldebaran, being particularly bright and red. To its right and apparently riding on its back is the cloud-like cluster of stars called The Pleiades or Seven Sisters, another example of a real and gravitationally-connected stellar grouping. Below and to the left from these two clusters is Orion the Great Hunter who, to many people, actually appears like a mighty giant marching through the heavens holding aloft his shield and club. The reddish stars Betelgeuse and Bellatrix clearly mark his shoulders above the distinctive row of three almost-equally-bright stars that outline his belt, and below the belt, the brilliant star Rigel and a slightly fainter Saif mark his knees. Between the belt and knees, in the area usually called The Sword of Orion, is the faintly visible nebulosity, appropriately named The Orion Nebula, which is very well known to astronomers who inspect it carefully each winter with their telescopes to study the details of an area where hundreds of stars are forming; yet, it is a region that is worth carefully viewing also with the unaided eye. Among the bright planets, two are easily seen in the evening sky and two are found in the early morning. Jupiter, the largest planet in the whole solar system, is at what astronomers call opposition early this month - meaning that its orbit has carried it to a point in the sky that is exactly opposite the sun. Therefore, it rises in the east at about sunset, dominates the whole eastern half of the sky in the early night hours, and sets in the west around sunrise. It is by far the brightest object in the evening sky. Saturn, which is as bright as some of the stars of Orion, is easily found above the head of Orion in the constellation Taurus the Bull and between the two stars that mark the ends of the horns above the head of the bull mentioned above. Observers who can see these two worlds with good binoculars or a small telescope will be amazed at the constantly changing patterns of the moons that orbit them and at the cloud bands that circle them, as well as the distinctive rings of Saturn. For those who can view the eastern morning sky about an hour before sunrise, a special treat awaits: Venus is absolutely brilliant, yes about five times as bright as was Jupiter in the evening sky! It is bright enough to be followed through twilight, and even up to the time of sunrise. Some people even see it in full daylight, well after sunrise. Mars is also found in the eastern predawn sky this month, but it is not nearly as bright as Venus. It is to the right of Venus, but their separation increases during the month, from two times the width of a fist held at arms length at the beginning of the month to three times a fist-width at months end. Early in the month, Mars will be to the left of the reddish star Antares, brightest star in the constellation Scorpius, and by months end Mars is to the right of the teapot-shaped grouping of stars that outline the constellation Sagittarius. In the last week of the month, Mars will be seen about the same distance above and to the right of the teapots spout as Venus is to the left of the handle of the teapot. During the first 10 days of the month, Mercury may also be seen for a short while beginning about 60 minutes before sunrise. Look carefully below and to the left from Venus, but a clear and unobstructed view of the eastern horizon will be needed to see this planet, which will be down from Venus about the same distance as Mars is above Venus and in a straight line from the one joining Mars and Venus. Some interesting sights are to be had as the moon moves past the bright planets. On February 11, watch as it moves close to Saturn over the course of the night. On the 15thit is near Jupiter, and on the 16th the Full Moon is north of the star Regulus and within the sickle-shaped asterism that forms the head of Leo the Lion. Early morning observers will see the waning crescent moon move past Mars on February 24 and 25, move through the teapot in Sagittarius on February 26 and below the brilliant Venus on February 27. Anyone with a good view of the south-eastern horizon should set the alarm for 5:30 a.m. on any of those mornings, when the views will be most interesting! Careful observers of the night sky will have a good chance to see what is known as The Zodiacal Light for about a half-hour just after the end of evening twilight between February 20 and March 5. (See the first paragraph for end of twilight times.) It is a faint glow in the shape of a very large cone in the western sky seen on very clear moonless nights in the late winter and early spring. It is caused by light reflected from the disk of tiny dust particles that is spread out within the inner solar system. Occasionally this Zodiacal Light is as bright as the Milky Way; on some occasions I have seen it even brighter than the Milky Way. Dont forget to look for it and savor this subtle and rare sight that many people have never had the chance to enjoy.
Those interested in observing the night sky are invited to purchase a copy of The Beginners Observing Guide, now available at Sharbot Lake Pharmacy.
