This upcoming week has some significant
events that you don’t want to miss.
Starting on Monday the zodiacal light should be visible from dark skies
for the next several weeks. Look to the
western skies soon after sunset and see if you can see a conical light
emanating from the horizon. Mars and
Venus are lined up to be inside this cone.
We are going to take a trip outside of town to some dark skies to see if
we can see it this year. For more information about Zodiacal Light please see the post from last Saturday linked below.
Zodiacal Light
Zodiacal Light
Another exciting thing happening this week
is associated with the planet Venus.
Venus will be at its greatest brilliancy Thursday evening and Friday
morning. Even though it is a waning
crescent, approximately one-third illuminated, it will be large and bright. If you are at a dark site, you may be able to
see your shadow cast across the ground from the light of Venus.
**Don't forget the penumbral lunar eclipse tonight! At Moon rise (5:44pm) the Moon will appear slightly shaded as it transits through the outer shadow of the Earth! Full details linked below.**
Penumbral Lunar Eclipse Information
**Don't forget the penumbral lunar eclipse tonight! At Moon rise (5:44pm) the Moon will appear slightly shaded as it transits through the outer shadow of the Earth! Full details linked below.**
Penumbral Lunar Eclipse Information
As typical in most months, Jupiter will be
aligned with the Moon Wednesday evening at a separation of 3°. This is close enough to fit in a typical
binocular field of view. The Last
Quarter Moon will appear on Saturday on its way to fading out to start a new
lunar cycle. The full astronomical
schedule for next week is below.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Feb 13 | Zodiacal Light strongly visible in western sky for two weeks |
| Feb 15 | Jupiter 3°S of Moon |
| Feb 17 | Jupiter at Aphelion |
| Feb 17 | Venus at greatest brilliancy |
| Feb 18 | Last Quarter |
| Feb 18 | Moon at Apogee |
| Feb 18 | Asteroid Irene at opposition |
Interestingly, the asteroid Irene will be at
opposition and at its brightest.
However, it will be magnitude 9.0 and you’ll be lucky to catch it in a
pair of nice binoculars. It will be more
than 3° from the naked eye Zeta Leonis in the constellation Leo. Attempting a telescope find will be
difficult, however if you wish to try your luck a star chart is provided below
with a binocular field of view circled.
 |
| Irene Star Chart |
The weather is starting to warm up and the
skies are clearing. There will be plenty
of opportunities to look up and see some of your favourite planets! Look for Jupiter moving to the southwestern sky just before sunrise!
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