USPS Star Calendar for 27 February to 5 March 20 February 2011
Posted by amedalen in February 2011, March 2011.Tags: Mercury, new moon, Venus
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28 Feb Low in the southeast before dawn, brilliant Venus is 2 to 3 finger-widths to the moon’s lower left. Less than one-fourth of the moon’s surface is illuminated.
1 Mar A thin sliver of moon can be seen to the lower left of Venus just before dawn.
2 Mar You will need a clear view of the eastern horizon to see the waning crescent moon at first light. Venus is 1½ fist-widths to the moon’s upper right.
4 Mar New moon at 2046 UT
5 Mar If you have a clear view of the western horizon, test your binocular skills tonight. As the sun dips from view, try to spot Mercury and the thin waxing crescent moon 3 finger-widths to its upper right. You won’t have much time, because Mercury sets only 20 minutes after the sun.
USPS Star Calendar for 20 to 26 February 13 February 2011
Posted by amedalen in February 2011.Tags: Antares, Arcturus, Big Dipper, Boötes, Jupiter, last-quarter moon, Sagittarius, Saturn, Scorpius, Spica
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20 Feb Saturn and the moon rise side by side 3½ hours after sunset. Low in the southwest at dawn tomorrow, Saturn is 4 finger-widths to the moon’s upper right and Spica is 3 finger-widths to the moon’s upper left.
21 Feb Saturn, Spica and the waning gibbous moon rise one after the other in a straight line late this evening. Arcturus, the brightest star of Boötes, the Herdsman, is 3 fist-widths to the left of Saturn.
22 Feb Saturn, Spica and the moon are lined up low in the southwest before dawn. Scorpius is far to the lower left. The Big Dipper is to the right with its handle pointing up. Follow the arc of the dipper’s handle to Arcturus and then to Spica. “Arc to Arcturus; speed on to Spica.”
23 Feb Jupiter and Saturn are in heliocentric opposition, on opposite sides of the sun.
24 Feb Low in the south at first light, the moon is in the head of the Scorpion, Scorpius. Last-quarter moon at 2326 UT
25 Feb The red star Antares is 2 finger-widths to the moon’s right this morning.
26 Feb Sagittarius, the Teapot constellation, is to the lower left of the moon this morning. About one-third of the moon’s surface is illuminated.
USPS Star Calendar for 13 to 19 February 6 February 2011
Posted by amedalen in February 2011.Tags: Big Dipper, Castor, full moon, Gemini Twins, Orion, perigee, Pollux, Procyon, Regulus, Saturn, Taurus
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13 Feb The moon is surrounded by major constellations tonight. Gemini is to the left, Taurus is to the right, and Orion is below. More than two-thirds of the moon’s surface is illuminated.
14 Feb Tonight the moon is in the middle of the constellation Gemini, the Twins. More than three-fourths of the moon’s surface is illuminated.
15 Feb The waxing gibbous moon lies between the Gemini Twins, Pollux and Castor, 1 fist-width to the upper left, and Procyon to the lower right. Regulus is far to the lower left, and the Big Dipper stands on its handle farther left.
16 Feb The moon is midway between Procyon, 2 fist-widths to the upper right, and Regulus to the lower left. More than 90 percent of the moon’s surface is illuminated.
17 Feb Regulus and the nearly full moon rise at sunset. Regulus is 2 finger-widths to the moon’s left.
18 Feb Regulus is 1½ fist-widths above the moon tonight. Rising 2 to 3 hours before midnight, Saturn is far to the moon’s lower left. Full Snow Moon at 0836 UT
19 Feb Saturn is 2 fist-widths to the moon’s lower left late tonight. The moon is at perigee, about 222,451 miles or 56.17 Earth-radii away.
