USPS Star Calendar for 3-9 February

3 Feb    The last-quarter moon is 2 finger-widths to Saturn’s lower left in the pre-dawn sky.

4 Feb    Scorpius, the Scorpion, is to the lower left of the waning crescent moon low in the south before dawn.

5 Feb    Magnitude 1.1 Antares, the heart of the Scorpion, is 3 finger-widths to the moon’s lower left just before dawn. About one-third of the moon’s surface is illuminated.

6 Feb    The waning crescent moon rises 3 hours before the sun low in the southeast before dawn. Only 20 percent of the moon’s surface is illuminated

7 Feb    Look north at dusk to spot the Big Dipper just above the horizon with its handle to the lower left of the bowl. The dipper rotates counter-clockwise and is a little higher with the handle straight down three hours after sunset. By midnight, the dipper has rotated even more and is high in the northeast. The moon is at perigee, 57.28 earth radii or 365,000 kilometers away.

8 Feb    With the moon setting 1½ hours before the sun, tonight is perfect for stargazing. Starting with Orion high in the south, follow a line through the three belt stars 2 fist-widths to the lower left to the Dog Star, magnitude -1.59 Sirius, in the constellation Canis Major.