See what’s up in the night sky for February 2016, including stargazing events and the moon’s phases, in this Space.com gallery courtesy of Starry Night Software. On Monday, Feb. 8, 9:39 a.m. EST. The moon is not visible on the date of New Moon because it is too close to the sun, but can be seen low in the east as a narrow crescent a morning or two before, just before sunrise. It is visible low in the west an evening or two after New Moon.
Monday, Feb. 22, 1:20 p.m. EST. The February Full Moon is known as the Snow Moon or Hunger Moon. It rises around sunset and sets around sunrise; this is the only night in the month when the moon is in the sky all night long. The rest of the month, the moon spends at least some time in the daytime sky.
Mercury at greatest elongation west, February 2016
Sunday, Feb. 7, dawn. Mercury will be at its farthest from the sun. Because of the angle the ecliptic makes with the horizon, this will be more favorable in the Southern Hemisphere, seen here half an hour before sunrise in Melbourne, Australia.
Monday, Feb. 15, evening. The First Quarter Moon will occult the bright red star Aldebaran against the backdrop of the Hyades star cluster, as seen from Hawaii, Japan, southern China, and southeast Asia.
Wednesday, Feb. 24–Wednesday March 9, evening. The faint glow of the zodiacal light will be visible for the next two weeks in the western sky after the end of evening twilight. It is a faint cone of light following the ecliptic, the green line shown here, quite distinct from the faint glow of the Milky Way to the northwest.
Friday, Feb. 26, 4:37–5:03 a.m. EST. Jupiter’s moons Io and Europa will chase their shadows across the face of Jupiter. The Great Red Spot will also be well placed for observation.
Mercury is well placed low in the eastern sky at dawn for most of the month. It will be at greatest elongation west of the sun on February 7. This apparition is more favorable for observers in the Southern Hemisphere because of the angle the ecliptic makes with the horizon.
Mars, in the morning sky, will be in Libra all month. Its tiny disk grows from 7 to 9 arc seconds during the month, as it moves towards opposition on May 22. Observers with good telescopes should begin to see some of the dark markings on Mars’ surface this month.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Comments are closed.