LISTEN: https://soundcloud.com/astrophiz/astrophiz164-februaryskyguide
Moon Phases:
Feb 6 Apogee Full moon
Feb 14 Final Quarter moon
Feb 20 New moon
Feb 27 First Quarter moon
Night Sky
Venus and Jupiter within the West half an hour after sundown.
On the fifteenth Venus and Neptune are simply 10 arc-seconds aside however will probably be very near the horizon within the twilight earlier than they set, so fairly a problem to picture them,
On the twenty second Venus and the very positive 6% Crescent moon will probably be simply 1 diploma aside low in your western horizon simply after sundown, with Jupiter close by making a pleasant trio.
And because the month progresses, Jupiter and Venus simply get nearer and nearer collectively. By 28 February they’re simply 2 levels aside. A positive sight to catch in your western horizon.
Additionally on the twenty eighth, within the North, Mars and the waxing moon are simply 3 levels aside.
In a telescope, Venus’s section presently is an oval and appears just like the gibbous moon.
Mars begins the month sitting on the ecliptic if you happen to’re trying North, it’s beneath Aldabaran and to the proper of the attractive Pleiades, and swings to the west because the month progresses.
For bare eye observers who exit nicely after sundown, the skies will probably be fairly darkish from the center of the month on, and also you’ll have magnificent views of intense Sirius up very excessive, Orion virtually overhead with vibrant Rigil and Betelguese attendant, and beneath them, the Pleiades, Mars and Aldabaran are gathered to spherical out an excellent assortment of celestial wonders.
Morning Skies
On the nineteenth, the three% skinny crescent moon is simply 4 levels above Mercury round 5:30am on the japanese horizon for these on AEST
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) has already been an excellent sight within the Northern Hemisphere and now having handed by the solar, will now be finest seen in Northern Australia in locations like Darwin and Cairns across the third of February. For these additional South, you’ll have to attend for the morning of the sixth of February, nevertheless with the total moon over within the west, you’ll want binoculars to see the comet to compensate for the moonlight. On the 14th the comet is near Aldebaran.
In Ian’s Tangent we discover out all in regards to the water and alcohol content material of comets and the obscure reality (in accordance with some US media shops) that Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is 1000 penguins large.
In two weeks we deliver you an incredible interview with Dr Vishal Gajjar who’s a venture scientist for Breakthrough Hear, the seek for extraterrestrial technosignatures. He’s primarily based at UC Berkley and has developed novel AI algorithms to interrogate the immense information units from the worlds largest radio telescopes.
This interview is pure science on steroids and proper out of this world. You’ll adore it!!
The crew’s newest paper has simply been printed in Nature and is accessible at https://tinyurl.com/technosigs
