USPS Star Calendar for 29 January-4 February

29 Jan    High in the southwest at nightfall, the moon is a little more than 3 finger-widths to Jupiter’s right.

30 Jan    Jupiter is a little more than 3 finger-widths to the moon’s lower right at dusk. The moon is at apogee, 63.39 Earth-radii, 404,000 kilometers, away.

31 Jan    At dusk, look for the Pleiades Cluster 4 finger-widths to the moon’s upper left and Jupiter nearly 2 fist-widths to its lower right.

1 Feb    High in the south at sunset, the Pleiades Cluster is 2 finger-widths to the moon’s upper right, and magnitude 1.1 Aldebaran is 4 finger-widths to the lower left. Orion lies farther to the lower left. The bright “star” 3 fist-widths to the lower right is magnitude -2.3 Jupiter.

2 Feb    Aldebaran is 3 finger-widths to the waxing gibbous moon’s lower right tonight. More than two-thirds of the moon’s surface is illuminated. Today is Candlemas or Groundhog Day, one of the cross-quarter days halfway between solstices and equinoxes.

3 Feb    Look high in the south 3 hours after sunset to see the moon surrounded by Aldebaran nearly 2 fist-widths to the left, the Gemini Twins 2½ fist-widths to the right, Orion 1 fist-width below and magnitude 0.2 Capella nearly overhead.

4 Feb    Look to the east at dusk to see the Gemini Twins 1½ fist-widths to the moon’s lower left and magnitude 0.6 Betelgeuse, the brightest star on Orion, the same distance to the right. Magnitude 0.5 Procyon is nearly 2 fist-widths below the moon.