My first Magazine Sky & Telescope - 02.2019 | Page 43

OBSERVING
February 2019
1 MORNING: Antares, Jupiter,
Venus, the waning crescent Moon,
and Saturn form a graceful arc 35°°
long stretching from the southeast
to the south-southeast in the
brightening twilight. Notice how the
ever-thinning Moon has popped over
to the other side of Saturn the fol-
lowing morning.
3 EVENING: Algol shines at
minimum brightness for roughly two
hours centered at 11:55 p.m. EST
(8:55 p.m. PST); see page 50.
6 EVENING: Algol shines at
minimum brightness for roughly two
hours centered at 8:45 p.m. EST.
10 EVENING: After sunset, look
halfway up in the south-southwest
to see the waxing crescent Moon
hanging some 6° lower left of Mars.
12 DUSK: Mercury reemerges from
its superior conjunction with the Sun
— look toward the west-southwest
after sunset to see the tiny world.
Binoculars help.
13 EVENING: The Moon, one day
past first quarter, is in the Hyades, 2°
from Aldebaran.
17–19 MORNING: Venus has been
creeping up on Saturn all month and
has now caught up with the ringed
planet. Look toward the southeast
before sunrise to see the brilliant
Morning Star glide over Saturn, with
only about 1° separating the two
planets on the morning of the 18th.
23–24 NIGHT: Algol shines at
minimum brightness for roughly two
hours centered at 10:41 p.m. PST
(1:41 a.m. EST).
26 EVENING: Algol shines at
17 EVENING: The waxing gibbous
Moon is in Cancer, nestled up against
M44, the Beehive Cluster.
minimum brightness for roughly two
hours centered at 10:30 p.m. EST.
27–28 DAWN: Antares, Jupiter,
21 EVENING: The soft glow of
the zodiacal light is visible at mid-
northern latitudes from dark sites
during the next two weeks. Look
toward the west after sunset for
a hazy pyramid of light stretching
up through Taurus to Gemini, tilted
slightly to the left.
Saturn, and Venus form a long arc
stretching from the south to the
east-southeast horizon. The waning
crescent Moon is 2° upper right of
Jupiter on the 27th, and halfway
between Jupiter and Saturn on the
last day of the month.
p Algol, the brighter star
lower right of center,
shines — and dims — in
Perseus; see page 36
for more on the history
of this object. Clockwise
from the left are: Ca-
pella, Auriga’s lucida; the
Double Cluster (NGC 869
and NGC 884); and the
Pleiades in Taurus. Alpha
Persei is near the center.
AKIRA FUJII
— DIANA HANNIKAINEN
sk yandtele scope.com • FE B RUA RY 2 019
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