Celestial events in February

I've been getting a bit stir crazy with the terrible weather I've faced in Sacramento over the last few months, so I plan on making trips to darker skies this month. This is a quiet period for celestial events- so I included some more challenging observations I would ordinarily have skipped. See if you're up for the challenge!

February 6th: Conjunction of Venus and Saturn
This will be a tricky one to observe, as it happens in the wee hours of the morning and will be quite low on the horizon. If you have a clear view of the Eastern Horizon, wake up an hour before dawn and look for a rising venus, which will look like a bright star. Right above it, will be the much fainter Saturn. While not quite as impressive as December's "grand conjunction" it will still be a gorgeous sight. If weather is good, I plan on attempting to capture it.

February 11th: Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn
Much like the previous conjunction, this will be a tricky one to observe, as it happens in the wee hours of the morning and will be quite low on the horizon. If you have a clear view of the Eastern Horizon, wake up an hour before dawn and look for a rising Venus and Jupiter, which will look like a bright pair of stars rising in the moments before sunrise. Jupiter will be above Venus. While not quite as impressive as December's "grand conjunction" it will still be a gorgeous sight. If weather is good, I plan on attempting to capture it. This one will look good if you can capture the conjunction with a foreground element in the picture, since it is so low on the horizon. 

February 11th- New Moon Observation Challenge
The new moon is always the best time to see Deep Sky Objects, either with your naked eye or a telescope. Last month's challenge was the Orion Nebula. Did you see it? This month, try and find the Pleiades, referred by some as the "tiny dipper". It is an open star cluster easily visible to the naked eye, and will be high in the northwestern sky after sunset. The "tiny dipper nickname" is due to the resemblence to the well known Big Dipper constellation. Through binoculars or a telescope, it looks incredible. In long-exposure photographs, the stars illuminate a swath of interstellar dust.

February 21st- Gibbous moon transits Messier 35
This will be a tricky one to observe, but the moon will actually appear to pass straight through the Shoe-Buckle cluster to west coast observers. Since the gibbous moon will be fairly bright, I'd recommend using a pair of binoculars and trying to cover the moon with a free hand while observing to see the nearby cluster.


February 27th- the Snow Moon
This is the brightest night of the month, with the full "Snow" Moon shining brightly over our night side, bright enough to cast shadows. While not a great night for star gazing or deepsky photography, it is the best time to watch the moon rise on the horizon at sunset. Watch for it rising in the Eastern skies!

Have a wonderful February and as always please comment and let me know your thoughts, any requests, or questions about anything celestial.