Clear February nights present some great stargazing opportunities. Be sure to bundle up and keep warm while you get outside for some stargazing fun!
Mars Close Approach
On the morning of February 5th Mars makes a close approach to M22, coming within a few arcminutes of the globular cluster. Rising before sunrise, the pair will be close enough to fit in the field of view of a telescope. Grab your camera to snap a picture of this celestial pairing!
Binocular Targets
Astronomy isn't always about how much gear you have! Grab some astro binoculars and check out the night sky without a lot of equipment. The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is high in the sky in the evening right now, with the Pleiades (M45) higher up. Both make great targets for almost any binocular!
Venus Viewing
On February 9th, Venus will be at greatest brightness during its morning appearance for the year, and on the 23rd the planet will reach its highest altitude in the morning sky, making February an ideal time to observe this elusive morning target.
Bright Galaxies
In late February, bright galaxies M81 & M82 will be about as high in the sky as they will get for North American stargazers. From a dark sky site, these galaxies are visible with a 50mm or larger binocular, but we suggest you use a large telescope to chase these galaxies down just off the leading edge of the Big Dipper asterism. Many observers consider M81 & M82 the best pairing of visual galaxies in the sky!
Midnight Spirals
Some galaxies for the night owls, the Sombrero Galaxy (M104) and the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) are some nice spiral galaxies that are both visible after midnight in February. The spiral arms of M51 can be glimpsed under dark skies with a 4.5" telescope, but will have more definition in larger telescopes. M104 is similar, it is visible in a 4" size telescope, but to distinguish the central "bulge" an 8" or larger instrument is required.
All objects described above can easily be seen with the suggested equipment from a dark sky site, a viewing location some distance away from city lights where light pollution and when bright moonlight does not overpower the stars.