Which planets are visible in February. Starry sky in the evening. Eternal companions of Orion

Winter Triangle: Procyon (top left), Sirius (bottom) and Betelgeuse (top right)

What a long February nights! Of course, they are not as long as in December, and yet how many constellations have time to swim before your eyes! In the evening, you can still find the autumn constellations, and in the morning, in the predawn sky, the summer constellations manage to appear.

This year, the sky in February is also remarkable in that it is decorated with four bright planets at once: Venus and Jupiter in the evening, Mars at night, and Saturn is added to Mars in the morning. We will describe the sky as it will be on February 15-20 in the evening (at 20:00 local time), at night (at midnight) and in the morning (at 06:00) approximately at the latitude of Moscow.

Evening sky

In the evening, the first thing that catches your eye is two bright stars in the southwestern sky. These are not stars, but planets - Jupiter and Venus. Jupiter is higher in the sky, Venus is leaning towards the horizon. During February, Venus catches up with Jupiter in the sky, and by the end of the month the distance between them will be only 12 °.

Looking south now, the Pleiades culminate high in the sky, a beautiful cluster of stars that looks like a tiny dipper. The Pleiades are in the constellation Taurus, whose main star, the orange Aldebaran, is visible slightly to the left and below the cluster. And above the Pleiades, almost at the zenith, a bright yellow star is visible. This is the Capella, Alpha of the Charioteer.

Near Aldebaran, Orion floats above the horizon, perhaps the most expressive constellation in the sky. The outlines of the legendary hunter are marked along the edges of the distinct red Betelgeuse (top left) and blue Rigel (bottom right). In the middle, three bright stars mark Orion's belt. They point almost exactly to Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, which shines low above the horizon.

In the southeast, on the left, the constellation Canis Minor rises, visible exclusively thanks to the main star, yellowish Procyon. Betelgeuse, Procyon and Sirius form the so-called Winter Triangle, above which is the constellation Gemini.

Night sky

At midnight, the picture changes. Venus is hidden behind the horizon, Jupiter is far to the west. The constellation Taurus is leaning towards the horizon, its place in the south was taken by the constellation Gemini and its two brightest stars - Castor and Pollux.

In the southeast rises the constellation Leo, which can be recognized by a large trapezoid of four stars, at the head of which is the white star Regulus. Just below the trapezoid is bright Mars. And in the east, another bright star rises above the horizon. This is Arcturus, the king of the dark spring sky.

Morning sky

Six hours later, in the pre-dawn sky, Mars is already visible in the southwest. Arcturus stands high in the sky, and below him are visible yellowish Saturn and bluish-white Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. In the southeast, meanwhile, the Moon appears low above the horizon. Not far from her is the shimmering Antares. Finally, in the east, the Summer Triangle is already rising: the bright stars Vega, Deneb and Altair.

Asteroids

Of the asteroids available for observation in the second half of February, we note three. Eunomia is located in the constellation Taurus, a few degrees east of the Pleiades, and Hebe and Astrea are in the constellation Leo, not far from the planet Mars. All three asteroids are quite faint, their magnitude is 9.6 m, so a telescope with a lens of at least 80 mm is required for observations.

Vesta is almost 2.5 times brighter, but is too close to the Sun. The small asteroid Eros, which passed at a minimum distance from Earth on January 31, is currently in the constellation Hydra, low above the horizon, and it is very difficult to observe it in mid-latitudes.

Asteroids brighter than 10 stars. magnitudes

Name	m	Constellation	Visibility conditions
4 Vesta	8,7	aquarius / fish	in the evening
433 Eros	8,7	Hydra	very low above the horizon at night
1 Ceres	9,2	Whale	in the evening
15 Eunomia	9,6	calf	evening and night near the Pleiades
5 Astrea	9,6	a lion	night and morning near Mars
6 Hebe	9,6	a lion	night and morning

Comets

The rather bright comet Garradd still stands out from the comets. It is easy to observe with binoculars and small telescopes in the constellation Draco. Read more in the article. New comet did not appear in the article 2012 C2 (Bruenjes), opened just 3 days ago by astronomy lover Fred Bruenesh from the USA. The comet is located in the constellation Taurus. Today its brightness is around 11 m and is rapidly decreasing. The comet is moving towards the constellation Pisces, where it will be at the end of the month.

Comet C / 2012 C2 (Bruenjes), discovered in the constellation Taurus on February 12, 2012. Photo: Fred Bruenjes

Map of the motion of comet C / 2012 C2 (Bruenjes) in February 2012. A source: Cometography

Variable stars

Bright variable stars are still clearly visible Betelgeuse is the brightest red giant in the constellation Orion. Betelgeuse is an incorrect variable, which, however, has short cycles of brightness change and cycles of 5.7 years. Algol, Lambda Taurus are available for observation in the evening, Zeta Gemini in the evening and at night, and Zeta Cepheus throughout the night.

Below is a table of brightness extrema of bright variable stars visible to the naked eye. For eclipsing variable stars, the time is indicated minimum, for Cepheids, maximum gloss... Time is World (UT) and is given in hours, i.e. 20.5 means approximately 20 hours 30 minutes UT.

Extrema of bright variable stars

date	Star	A type	Time (UT)	Day of week
The 14th of February	Algol	eclipsing variable	23,5	tuesday
February, 15	λ Taurus	eclipsing variable	2,5	wednesday
February, 15	δ Weights	eclipsing variable	10,5	wednesday
16 february	δ Cephei	cepheid	8,0	thursday
February 17	δ Weights	eclipsing variable	18,5	friday
February 17	Algol	eclipsing variable	20,5	friday
19 february	λ Taurus	eclipsing variable	1,0	sunday
19 february	ζ Gemini	cepheid	11,5	sunday
February 20th	δ Weights	eclipsing variable	2,5	monday
February 20th	Algol	eclipsing variable	17,5	monday
21 february	δ Cephei	cepheid	17,0	tuesday
February 22	δ Weights	eclipsing variable	10,0	wednesday
February 23	λ Taurus	eclipsing variable	0,0	thursday
February 23	Algol	eclipsing variable	14,0	thursday
24 February	δ Weights	eclipsing variable	18,0	friday
26 february	Algol	eclipsing variable	11,0	sunday
26 february	λ Taurus	eclipsing variable	23,0	sunday
February 27	δ Cephei	cepheid	1,5	monday
February 27	δ Weights	eclipsing variable	2,0	monday
February 29	Algol	eclipsing variable	8,0	wednesday
February 29	δ Weights	eclipsing variable	9,5	wednesday
February 29	ζ Gemini	cepheid	15,0	wednesday

Other interesting astronomical phenomena in February

February 22. New moon. This night - best time for observing deep space objects - galaxies, nebulae and star clusters.

25 February. Venus and the crescent moon of the young moon appear this evening together in the western sky. This evening you can get beautiful photos of these two brightest objects in the night sky.

February 27. The moon is next to Jupiter. On this day, the Moon is at its apogee - the farthest point of its orbit from the Earth.

February is the middle of winter. February 1 (2,454,133 Julian day) The sun rises in Moscow at 7:55 am, sets at 4:33 pm according to mean solar time, and in winter time, which coincides with maternity time, at 08:25, respectively, and 17h 03m.At the end of the month, February 28 (2454 160th Julian day), the first stars (taking into account the duration of twilight) will appear already at 18h 41m, and disappear at 6h 56m.In February, the Sun moves first along the constellation Capricorn, and after February 17 - along the constellation Aquarius. If you follow the movement of the Sun along the zodiac signs, which have a length of 30 ° along the ecliptic, starting from the vernal equinox, then in the first two decades of February the Sun is in the sign of Aquarius, and after February 20 it moves in the sign of Pisces.

The evening February sky is striking with bright stars that outline the contours of the most prominent constellations. At 19–20 o'clock from the southeast, the three most prominent constellations: A charioteer with a bright Capella, under him is Taurus with a bright orange Aldebaran, and a little to the east is Orion with a bright topaz yellow shade of Betelgeuse.

A group of nine bright stars in the constellation Orion occupies almost the entire field of view. Three oblique stars represent Orion's Belt. The celestial equator passes through them - an important line on the celestial sphere, dividing it into the northern and southern hemispheres. This line also passes through the east and west points on the horizon. Try to trace the equator using these landmarks. In ancient times, the three stars in Orion's Belt were called Three Kings, they are all around the second magnitude and are called (from left to right) Zeta (), Epsilon () and Delta ().

Constellation above the southern part of the horizon (at the latitude of Moscow)

Above Orion's Belt, on the left, is the bright Betelgeuse (). It is a variable pulsating star with a period of about 2070 days. and is not quite clearly expressed. Direct measurements of its dimensions using a Michelson stellar interferometer showed that during pulsations its radius changes from 700 to 1000 solar radii. If this star were in the place of the Sun, all our planets up to Jupiter would be inside it. Using the speckle interferometry method, for the first time, they obtained a photograph of the surface of a star with spots - the same as on our Sun (although their sizes are comparable to the distance from the Earth to the Sun). This supergiant star is at a distance of about 200 pc from us, the surface temperature is about 3000 K, and the luminosity is almost 15,000 higher than that of the Sun. Betelgeuse has almost completely depleted her hydrogen fuel, her life is drawing to a close. Usually stars with such a mass (about 15 solar masses) live for about 10 million years and before death swell to gigantic sizes, turning into red supergiants. But, what is most interesting, such a star, dying, explodes like a supernova. We cannot say exactly when Betelgeuse will explode, whether we will be witnesses to a catastrophic explosion - this may happen tomorrow, or maybe in tens of thousands of years. Unsurprisingly, astronomers are studying this star so closely, as the effects of the explosion are not hard to imagine. It is believed that a similar supernova explosion, which occurred as a result of the explosion of a star near the Sun about 60 million years ago, led, according to one version, to the extinction of dinosaurs, but also to the emergence of new species of living creatures - mammals, and later - humans.

To the right of Betelgeuse is Bel-latrix (, 2 m). Between these stars, slightly higher, one can distinguish a third (, 3 m), which, at first glance, seems like a hazy speck. This impression is enhanced by the fact that there are two more faint stars below it (5 m). Under the Three Kings, on the right, a very bright (1 m) the star Rigel (Orion). To the left of Rigel there is a star (2 m). The drawing of the constellation is completed by an elongated foggy spot under the belt, indicating the place of the hanging sword. The oblique line of the Three Kings, with its continuation to the southeast, points to the brightest star in our sky - Sirius ( Big Dog). The constellation of Orion was repeatedly sung in ancient legends and myths different nations... The ancient Jews saw in him Nemvrod, the first hunter on Earth. He was even called Kezil, i.e. impermanence, which was associated with the bad autumn weather and the dangers that awaited the sailors at this time. Ancient historians associate the loss of the Roman fleet in the First Punic War with the illiteracy of the consuls, who did not take into account the age-old signs and insisted on sailing the fleet at the dangerous time of the rise of Orion. Arabs called Orion Al-jabar or Al-jawza (giant, giant).

The name Orion () is one of the oldest proper names, the name of the heavenly hunter himself. Greek word (similar to Russian time) means season, year and hour... Some see the relationship of this word with the name of the musician Arion, who charmed even dolphins with his playing and was saved by them when he was drowning in the sea. As a reward for his art, he was placed in heaven.

The names of the main stars are taken from Arabic: Betelgeuse - from ibt al-jawza (giant's shoulder), Rigel - ridge al-jawza (giant leg). Bellatrix - from Latin bellatrix (warrior). it female name associated with astrological ideas: it was believed that women born under the influence of this star are usually happy, however, they love to gossip.

Even with a small telescope in the region of the Sword of Orion, a faint nebula can be seen. This is a giant gas and dust complex, inside which there are many young, newly formed hot, so-called O-stars. It is their powerful UV radiation that excites the glow of the surrounding gas, which we perceive as a diffuse nebula.

There are many double stars in this constellation. This is Rigel, the duality of which can be detected already in a telescope with a lens diameter of about 5 cm; Betelgeuse with satellite 9 m bluish color, located at a distance of 2.5 " ; the top star in Orion's Belt Delta, available for observation with the weakest telescope: one star 2.5 m , the other 7 m , the distance between them is 53 " ... In the Orion Nebula, you can see the famous sixfold system of young stars, the so-called Orion's Trapezium (Orion's star). Try to see this amazing system.

Below the "knees" of Orion, low above the horizon, there is a small irregular quadrangle of stars - the constellation Hare. It is clearly visible in the southern regions of Russia.

Above Orion is the constellation Taurus. Orange Aldebaran () - the eye of an angry bull - stared at the hunter brandishing a club. To the northwest, the beautiful cluster of young and hot stars of the Pleiades culminates, and near Aldebaran there is a small V-shaped cluster of the Hyades.

The Pleiades are a very noticeable cluster, and it is not surprising that our ancestors paid attention to it. The ancient peoples, long before they knew the length of the solar year, were guided in the construction of the calendar by the stars and usually began their year with the morning appearance of the Pleiades in the spring before sunrise, and the winter was counted from the time when the Pleiades began to rise in the evening (autumn). Although only six stars are now visible with the naked eye, in ancient times there were seven in this cluster, and each was given its own name.

Near the zenith is the constellation Perseus, to the east of it is the Charioteer, and closer to the horizon are Gemini with bright Castor () and Pollux (). To the west of Perseus, the constellations Andromeda and Pegasus are visible. Under Andromeda is the constellation of the Triangle, in the southwest the constellation of Aries descends.

In the northwest, near the zenith, the constellation Cassiopeia is noticeable. This constellation contains the unusual-looking Bubble gas nebula (NGC7635). The image was taken with a very large exposure, through a narrow filter that allows the light emitted by a hydrogen atom in a line (\u003d
\u003d 6563). Thanks to this, in the picture we see the distribution of hydrogen atoms in the form of a bubble. Despite its clear and thin outline, the bubble has a diameter of about 10 sv. years, and its form is determined by the grandiose processes taking place in the center. This bubble was blown out by a powerful stellar wind from a star located in its center (in the photo it is not visible due to the large absorption). Another bright hot star, located above the center of the bubble, is submerged in a cloud of dust that reflects its light. A powerful stellar wind and a stream of light from this star pushed out the elongated structure of luminous gas with their pressure, which crashed into the dense substance of the molecular cloud surrounding the bubble with great speed. This elongated structure of a mixture of gas and dust is clearly visible in the image. The mass of the brightest star is estimated at 10–20 solar masses. The bubble is located at a distance of 11,000 sv. years. It is interesting to note that our Sun is also the source of the stellar (solar) wind. Although the solar wind is very weak, it also formed a bubble at a distance of about 80–100 AU. It is to such a small, on a cosmic scale, distance that the solar wind was able to push the interstellar medium apart. Now the space stations Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are just flying up to the boundary of the bubble and will try to transmit information about the conditions at the boundary between the interstellar medium and the environment formed by the solar wind.

Constellation above the northern part of the horizon (at the latitude of Moscow)

If we look at the northern side of the horizon, we will see in the lower culmination the non-setting constellations of the Dragon and M. Medveditsa, as well as the lower torso of the constellation Hercules. To the east rises B. Medveditsa, which passed the lower climax a few hours ago. In the northeast, the constellation Leo rises, in which Saturn is now, but it can be observed later, best of all - near midnight, when it is at the upper climax. It is clearly visible through a school telescope, but in the photograph we see much more unusual details. This is not surprising, since The picture was taken from the automatic interplanetary station "Cassini", which is now exploring this planet and its satellites. The photograph was taken when Cassini was in the shadow of this giant planet for almost 12 hours, and the planet's disk was obscuring the bright sun. It can be seen that the night side of Saturn is partially illuminated by the light of the Sun reflected from the rings. In addition, the rings against the background of the planet are quite dark, and away from Saturn they are so bright that it allowed the discovery of several new unknown rings (although they are barely visible in this picture). Ring E can be seen in sufficient detail, as well as the ring formed by the recently discovered satellite Enceladus by gushing ice. The outermost ring of Saturn is clearly visible. If you look closely, then on the left, just above the bright main ring, you can see a faint point - this is our planet Earth.

View of Saturn during its eclipse of the Sun from the Cassini spacecraft (http://antwrp.gsfcnasa.gov/apod/ap061016.html)

Another interesting phenomenon is associated with Saturn, which can be observed on the night of February 2 to 3 - the covering of Saturn by the Moon. On this night, the full moon, moving among the stars in an easterly direction with an angular velocity of about 32 ang. min / h, Saturn will close from us for almost 40 minutes (in Moscow). This coverage can be observed in the European part of Russia and in Western Siberia. The table below shows the UT times of the beginning and end of Saturn's coverage. Winter time at this point in Russia T associated with world time by the formula: T \u003d UT + n + 3, where n - time zone number. So, Tyumen is in the 4th time zone ( n \u003d 4), therefore, according to the local winter time of Tyumen, coverage there will begin at the moment T \u003d 23 h 21 m 16 s + 4 h + 3 h \u003d 6 h 21 m 16 s.

Circumstances of Saturn Covering

City	Start time			End time
	h	m	from	h	m	from
Moscow	23	16	18	23	53	47
Kazan	23	17	31	00	12	33
S.-Pb.	23	03	27	23	40	14
Tyumen	23	21	16	00	23	55

Coverage circumstances in other cities can be found in the astronomical calendars and the book O.S.Ugolnikova “The sky of the beginning of the century. 2001–2012 "(M .: Selyanov A.D., 2000).

PLANETS

Mercury makes a direct movement along the constellation Aquarius. On February 7, the maximum eastern elongation of the planet occurs when it moves away at an angular distance of 18 ° east of the Sun. Mercury is clearly visible for almost an hour in the rays of the evening dawn, low above the horizon, until the middle of the month. The brightness of the planet varies from -0.9 m at the beginning up to +0.8 m in the middle of the month. When the telescope is magnified 20 times in the second decade of the month, a narrow crescent of the planet can be seen.

Venus makes a direct movement along the constellations of Aquarius and Pisces. Its luster will be -3.8 m , it is visible for a month, about 3 hours in the rays of the evening dawn. At the beginning of the month, Venus is just east of Mercury, and the two planets are visible at the same time, justifying their name for the evening stars.

Mars moves along the constellation Sagittarius and is above the horizon in the daytime, so it cannot be observed.

Jupiter moves along the constellation Ophiuchus, its brilliance is almost -2 m , and the angular diameter is about 36 " , so that in a school telescope with a small magnification, you can see interesting details of its surface and four Galilean satellites. Jupiter is visible over 3.5 hours before sunrise.

Saturn moves backward along the constellation Leo, during the opposition on February 10, its brightness will be 0 m , it is visible all night. Saturn is best observed near midnight, when it is highest above the horizon. Its apparent diameter will be about 20 " , therefore, in a school telescope with a magnification of over 10 times, you can see its rings and even try to see the Cassini hole in the ring.

Uranus makes a direct movement along the constellation Aquarius, being close to Mercury. Despite the fact that its brilliance is +5.9 m and it is above the horizon for about 1.5 hours, it is very difficult to observe it, because he is lost in the rays of the evening dawn.

Neptune moves along the constellation Capricorn. On February 8, its conjunction with the Sun will occur, so that it will be inaccessible to observations.

METEOR

Avrigids (February): active from 8 to 12 February with a maximum on 9 February (up to 5 MT / h). It is convenient to observe the stream in the evening, when the constellation Auriga is high above the horizon.

Virginids active from 13 to 21 February without a pronounced maximum period (up to 5 met./h). Meteors are clearly visible in the second half of the night.

Hydrides active from 21 to 23 February without a pronounced maximum (up to 4 met./h). The best observation time is the second half of the night.

Prof. V.M. CHARUGIN,
Moscow State Pedagogical University, Moscow

Ivanov, to the board!

- At the exam in astronomy in the 5th year of the Faculty of Physics of the Pedagogical Institute: "What are sunspots?" A moment's confusion and the answer: "A sunspot is a depression in the Sun, the shadow from the walls of which falls to the bottom." The examiner regained consciousness only after a few seconds.

V. V. PORFIRIEV

- Astronomy studies airless space as a whole.

- Even after his death, Ptolemy believed that the spherical Earth was in the center of the world.

- Copernicus believed that the Sun is at the center of the Universe, and various creatures move around it.

- A constellation is a group of stars displaying mythological images. It is a part of the sky surrounded by certain edges.

- Stars are white and bright white by color.

- An atom consists of a large nucleus, around which small positively charged nucleoli accumulate.

- Internal energy is the energy that is inside the body.

- Sometimes the energy disappears.

- When falling, the ball goes into internal energy.

- Newton's third law is called the law of reciprocity.

- A heat engine is a device that generates gas to help machines move.

- "Can the Kalashnikov assault rifle be attributed to heat engines?"
a) No, because the engine should be running, and the machine should be "boo!" - that's all; b) no, because the gunpowder will start to ignite, and the machine may burst into pieces; in) no, because no coal is thrown at it!

- The harm from an internal combustion engine is the clogging of nature and other living beings.

- Vacuum is an air shell.

- If you rub an ebony stick with a woolen cloth, the stick will get a woolen charge.

- How many pluses the core has, the same number of minuses.

“Since electrons conduct electricity well, they can be used to make wires.

- Let's calculate the resistance of the specific gravity of the conductor.

- The softest - alkali - metals are usually cut with a knife.

- Under normal conditions, titanium is not affected by atmospheric oxygen, or sea water, or even Tsarskaya vodka.

- Various metals are used to make aluminum.

- Electrical phenomena need to be studied in order not to suffer, just in case.

Favorites astronomical events months (Moscow time):

1st of February - covering by the Moon (Ф \u003d 0.98-) of the Regulus star with visibility in the north and east of Russia,
7 february - The moon is in the phase of the last quarter,
7 february - The moon (Ф \u003d 0.48-) near Jupiter,
February 9th - Moon (Ф \u003d 0.35) near Mars,
February 11 - the Moon (Ф \u003d 0.16-) at the apogee of its orbit at a distance of 405700 km from the center of the Earth,
February 11 - The moon (Ф \u003d 0.16-) is near Saturn,
February 11 - Mars passes at 5 degrees. north of Antares,
February 11 - The moon (Ф \u003d 0.15-) in the maximum declination south of the celestial equator (-20gr.),
The 14th of February - Moon (Ф \u003d 0.01-) in the descending node of the orbit,
February, 15 - the covering by the Moon (Ф \u003d 0,0) of the planet Mercury (not visible due to its proximity to the Sun),
February, 15 - new moon,
February, 15 - private solar eclipse (visibility in Antarctica and South America),
February, 15 - Coverage by the asteroid (189) Phthia for 4 seconds of the star HIP42917 (5.6m) from the constellation Cancer with visibility in the European part of Russia,
16 february - Coverage by the Moon (Ф \u003d 0.01+) of the planet Venus with visibility in South America and Africa,
February 17 - Moon (Ф \u003d 0.02+) near Neptune,
February 17 - Mercury in the upper conjunction with the Sun,
February 17 - the long-period variable star T Ursa Major (6.5m) reaches its maximum brightness,
February 20th - Moon (Ф \u003d 0.2+) near Uranus,
21 february - Venus passes at 0.5 degrees. south of Neptune,
21 february - the long-period variable star R Gemini 6m reaches its maximum brightness,
21 february - the long-period variable star R Bootes (6m) reaches its maximum brightness,
February 22 - coverage by the asteroid (1032) Pafuri for 9 seconds of the star HIP73007 (7.6m) from the constellation Libra with visibility in the European part of Russia and Central Asia,
February 23 - The moon is in the first quarter phase,
February 23 - Coverage by the Moon (Ф \u003d 0.54+) of the star Aldebaran with visibility almost over the entire territory of Russia and the CIS (except for the southern and eastern regions),
25 February - Mercury passes in 0.4 degrees. south of Neptune,
25 February - The Moon (Ф \u003d 0.77+) in the maximum declination north of the celestial equator (+20 degrees,),
26 february - the long-period variable star V Ophiuchus (6.5m) reaches its maximum brightness,
February 27 - The moon (Ф \u003d 0.92+) at the perigee of its orbit at a distance of 363935 km from the center of the Earth,
28th of February - Moon (Ф \u003d 0.95+) in the ascending node of the orbit,
28th of February - coverage by the asteroid (451) Patientia for 18 seconds of the star HIP22949 (6,2m)
from the constellation Taurus with visibility in the north and east of the country.

The sun moves along the constellation Capricorn until February 16, and then moves to the constellation Aquarius. The declination of the central star is gradually increasing, and the length of the day is rapidly increasing, reaching by the end of the month 10 hours 38 minutes at the latitude of Moscow. The midday height of the Sun for a month at this latitude will increase from 17 to 26 degrees. Observations of spots and other formations on the surface of a daylight can be carried out with almost any telescope or binoculars, and even with the naked eye (if the spots are large enough). February is not the best month for observing the Sun, nevertheless, you can observe the central star all day, but you need to remember that a visual study of the Sun through a telescope or other optical instruments must be carried out (!!) using a solar filter (recommendations for observing the Sun are available in the magazine "Sky" http://astronet.ru db msg 1222232).

Moon will start moving across the February sky at full phase in the constellation Leo, covering on the first day of the month Regulus at a phase of 0.98 - with visibility in the north and east of Russia. In this constellation, the moon will stay until February 3, then moving to the constellation Virgo at a phase of 0.9-. Making a further journey across the February sky, the decreasing oval of the Moon will cross the Virgo constellation in three days, passing north of the Spica star on February 5. Having passed at phase 0.6- to the constellation Libra on February 6, the Moon will take the phase of the last quarter the next day and will pass north of Jupiter (near alpha Libra) at phase 0.48-. On February 8, the crescent moon (Ф \u003d 0.4-) will visit the constellation Scorpio, and on February 9, it will take over the constellation Ophiuchus, observed at dawn hours low above the southeastern horizon. On February 10, the aging month with a phase of 0.22 - will pass into the constellation Sagittarius, where it will pass north of Saturn on the morning of February 11 (near the maximum declination south of the celestial equator and the apogee of its orbit). On February 13, a thin crescent (Ф \u003d 0.05-) of the Moon will leave the constellation Sagittarius, moving into the constellation Capricorn, on February 15 in this constellation, the Moon will take a new moon phase (near the descending node of its orbit). On this new moon, there will be a partial solar eclipse, which will be observed in South America and Antarctica. Moving to the constellation Aquarius, the young month will appear on evening sky near Venus on February 16. On this day, the planet will be covered by the Moon (Ф \u003d 0.01+) with visibility in South America and Africa. The next day, the growing month will approach Neptune in the 0.02+ phase. The planet will not be covered because The Neptune coatings series has ended and the next series will begin in 2023. Making a further journey across the February sky, the Moon on February 18 will visit the constellation Pisces with a phase of about 0.1+, on February 19 it will enter the constellation Cetus, and on February 20 it will again pass through the constellation Pisces, increasing the phase to 0.2+ and passing south of Uranus. On February 21, the growing sickle will once again enter the constellation Cetus, and on the same day it will move into the constellation Aries with a phase of about 0.3+. In the constellation Aries, the Moon will not stay long and on February 22 it will move to the constellation Taurus with a phase close to 0.4+. Here, on February 23, near the first quarter phase, the Moon will cover the stars of the Hyades and Aldebaran clusters with visibility over most of the country (except for the southern and eastern regions). The next day, the lunar oval will visit the constellation Orion at a phase of about 0.6+, and on February 25 it will move to the constellation Gemini, passing the point of maximum declination north of the celestial equator. Observing most of the night, the Moon (Ф \u003d 0.88+) on February 27 will move to the constellation Cancer, where it will pass the perigee of its orbit (passing south of the Manger star cluster - M44) near the ascending node of its orbit. On February 28, the bright Moon will pass into the possession of the constellation Leo, and will end its journey across the winter sky near Regulus at a phase of 0.98+.

Large planets of the solar system.

Mercury moves in the same direction with the Sun along the constellation Capricorn until February 16, when it moves to the constellation Aquarius. At the beginning of the month, the fast planet is in the morning sky, but close to the Sun, so it is not visible. Gradually approaching the central star, Mercury on February 17 will pass the upper conjunction with the Sun, and then move to the evening sky. But the opportunity to see the planet against the background of the evening dawn will appear only at the end of the month (elongation 8 degrees). The apparent diameter of the fast planet remains at the level of 5 arc seconds throughout the month, and the brightness increases from -0.5 tons to -1.5 tons. The phase of Mercury throughout the described period is close to 1. In May 2016, Mercury passed across the disk of the Sun, and the next passage will take place on November 11, 2019.

Venus moves in the same direction with the Sun along the constellation Capricorn, on February 8, moving to the constellation Aquarius, where he will spend the rest of the described period. The evening star gradually increases its angular distance to the east of the Sun, and in the second decade of the month it can be found in the rays of the rising Sun. A small white disc with no detail is observed through the telescope. Venus has an apparent diameter of about 10 ”and a phase close to 1.0 at a magnitude of about -4m.

Mars moves in the same direction with the Sun along the constellation Scorpio, on February 8, passing into the constellation Ophiuchus. The planet is observed in the morning hours over the southeastern and southern horizons. The brightness of the planet in a month increases from + 1.2m to + 0.8m, and the apparent diameter increases from 4.7 "to 6.6". Mars is gradually approaching the Earth, and the opportunity to see the planet close to opposition will appear in July. Details on the planet's surface (large) can be visually observed with an instrument with a lens diameter of 60 mm, and, moreover, photographically with subsequent processing on a computer.

Jupiter moves in the same direction with the Sun along the constellation Libra near the alpha star of this constellation. The gas giant has been observed in the morning and night sky for over six hours. Angular diameter of the largest planet Solar system increases in a month from 36 "to 39" with a brightness of about -2m. The planet's disk is distinguishable even with binoculars, and with a small telescope, stripes and other details are visible on the surface. Four large satellites are already visible through binoculars, and in a telescope in good visibility conditions, shadows from the satellites on the planet's disk can be observed. See the tables above for satellite configurations.

Saturn moves in the same direction as the Sun along the constellation Sagittarius. You can observe the ringed planet in the morning over the southeastern horizon. The brightness of the planet is + 0.6m with an apparent diameter of about 15.5 ". In a small telescope, you can see the ring and the moon Titan, as well as other brighter moons. The apparent dimensions of the planet's ring are on average 40 × 15 ”with an inclination of 26 degrees to the observer.

Uranus (5.9m, 3.4 ") moves in the same direction with the Sun along the constellation Pisces near the star omicron Psc with a magnitude of 4.2m. The planet is visible in the evening sky. Uranus rotating "on its side" is easily detected with binoculars and search charts, and a telescope from 80 mm in diameter with a magnification of more than 80 times and a transparent sky will help to see the Uranus disk. With the naked eye, the planet can be seen during the periods of new moons in a dark clear sky, and this opportunity will present itself in the middle of the month. The moons of Uranus have a brightness weaker than 13m.

Neptune (7.9m, 2.3 ”) moves in the same direction with the Sun along the constellation Aquarius near the lambda star Aqr (3.7m). The planet is visible in the evening sky, ending visibility in the second decade of the month. To search for the most distant planet in the solar system, you will need binoculars and star charts in the Astronomical Calendar for 2018, and the disk is distinguishable through a telescope from 100 mm in diameter with a magnification of more than 100 times (with a clear sky). Photographically, Neptune can be captured with the simplest camera with a shutter speed of 10 seconds or more. Neptune's moons have a brightness weaker than 13m.

Of cometsvisible in February from the territory of our country, at least two comets will have a calculated brightness of about 11m and brighter: PANSTARRN (C / 2016 R2) and Heinze (C / 2017 T1). The first, with a brightness of about 11m, moves along the constellation Taurus (near the Pleiades). The brightness of the second comet is also about 11m, and it moves along the constellation Pegasus. Detailed information about other comets of the month is available at http://aerith.net/comet/weekly/current.html, and the results of observations are available at http://195.209.248.207.

Among the asteroids the brightest in February will be Ceres (6.9m) - in the constellation Cancer and Vesta (7.4m) - in the constellation Ophiuchus. The ephemerides of these and other asteroids are given in the tables above. Path maps of these and other asteroids (comets) are given in the appendix to the KN (file mapkn022018.pdf). For information on star coverage by asteroids, see http://asteroidoccultation.com/IndexAll.htm.

Of relatively bright long-period variable stars (observed from the territory of Russia and the CIS) the maximum brightness in this month according to the AAVSO data was reached: RR Andromeda 9.1m - February 1, R Chanterelles 8.1m - 7 February, T Hare 8.3m - 12 February, S Weights 8.4m - February 12, U Virgo 8.2t - February 15, X Giraffe 8.1t - February 16, T Big Dipper 7.7t - February 17, R Microscope 9.2t - February 20, R Gemini 7.1t - February 21, R Bootes - 7.2t on February 21, V Ophiuchus 7.5t - on February 26. More information at http://www.aavso.org/.

Clear sky and successful observations!

Constellation Leo begins to displace the constellation from the night sky Orion... Heavenly Hunter with a bright retinue of the constellations surrounding him - Taurus, Gemini, Small and Big Dogs - are leaning more and more towards the western horizon. In the morning sky begin to conquer the position of the constellation Summer Triangle: Swan, Lyra and Eagle... Ursa Major floats northwest across the zenith.

The overview does not show the current positions of the planets in the constellations. Read more about planetary motions in monthly materials "".

The article will help you navigate the star maps:
"How to use the star map"

We remind you: true midnight in Bratsk comes at about 1 am local time!
why so, we read in the material: Games with time. When is noon in Bratsk? ,

and after October 26, 2014 we read in the material: The clock in the Irkutsk region will be transferred once and for all

THE WAY OF CIRCULAR CONSTELLATIONS

Ursa Major begins its journey in the evening to the right of Ursa Minor, balancing on the handle of the Bucket, during a long February night turns around the Pole Star (+ 1.97m) counterclockwise by about 120 degrees, while rising higher and higher above the northeast , by the middle of the night completely overturns the Bucket, shining at the zenith above the Pole Star. By morning, the Big Dipper moves to the northwestern part of the sky, scratching the zenith with a pen. The Ursa Minor's ladle "hangs" on the Polar Star in the evening, and in the morning it "stands" with its handle on the Polar Star (indicated by a circle in the image).

Starry sky in February from the northern horizon in the middle latitudes of Russia:

In the evening about 22 hours

At night about 2 hours

In the morning about 7 o'clock

The other circumpolar constellations make the same turn. Cassiopeia, whose figure lines are similar to the letter "M" or "W", in the evening sky shines to the left of the Polar in the northwestern part of the sky, by morning dropping to the northern horizon (by the letter "W"). A dragon with an easily distinguishable trapezoid girdles its head in the evening Ursa Minor from below, at the northern horizon, by morning climbing its tail into the zenith above the Pole Star. The "house" of Cepheus, located between Cassiopeia and the Dragon, makes the same cycle around the Polyarnaya on the left, by morning moving to the northeastern part of the sky.

Above the northwestern horizon, in the evenings, the constellation Cygnus (in the form of a huge cross) with the bright star Deneb (+ 1.25m) is very noticeable, and the star Vega (+ 0.03m) from the summer constellation Lyra shines at the northernmost horizon. From evening to night, both constellations move along the northern horizon, sharply climbing high in the eastern segment of the sky by morning.

FROM EVENING TO MORNING ...

In the evening, the constellation Leo begins its ascent above the eastern horizon, and bright winter constellations sparkle above the south: Taurus, Gemini, Orion, Canis Major and Lesser. The constellation Pisces and the Pegasus Square slope to the west. At the zenith, the Charioteer with the bright star Capella (+ 0.08m) and the constellation Perseus with the ominous star Algol sparkle. Andromeda is located high in the southwestern part of the sky (between Perseus and Pegasus). Two bright Aries stars are visible under Andromeda. The constellation Bootes rises above the northeastern horizon with the bright orange star Arcturus.

Evening sky in February from the southern horizon in the middle latitudes of Russia,
about 22 hours:

Orion is the most beautiful constellation of the winter night. His figure with three stars in the belt is hard not to recognize. Above and to the left of Orion are the stars Castor (+1.96 / 2.91m) and Pollux (+ 1.15m) from Gemini, below them is the star Procyon (+ 0.4m) from Canis Minor, below and to the left of Orion not high above the horizon the brightest star of the whole sky, Sirius (-1.47m), from the constellation Canis Major shines. On the right, Orion swings at Taurus with the bright Aldebaran (+ 0.85m), which crowns the Hyades (a cluster of stars that looks like the horns of a bull).

Orion constellation over Lake Loch Eske in Ireland

Night sky in February from the southern horizon in the middle latitudes of Russia,
about 2 hours:

At night, in the southern region of the sky there is the trapezoidal constellation Leo with the bright star Regulus (+ 1.35m). In the east sparkles orange Arcturus (-0.04m) from the constellation Bootes. Near the southwestern horizon, the constellation Canis Major is moving with the brightest star in the sky, Sirius (-1.47m). In the southwest, the stars of Orion sparkle, and high above the western horizon is the orange star Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus, above them is the star Capella of Auriga. In the northwest, Andromeda and Aries enter, and Perseus accompanies them high above them.

Morning sky in February from the southern horizon in the middle latitudes of Russia,
about 7 hours:

By morning, Hercules and Ophiuchus are selected to the southeastern region of the sky. The star Spica (+ 1.04m) of the constellation Virgo sparkles above the southwest. Above Virgo is Bootes with the bright star Arcturus. The constellation Leo now shines high above the southwest. At the zenith, the Big Dipper and the Dragon are located directly overhead. In the northwest, the constellations Gemini and Charioteer set. Above the eastern horizon, the Summer Triangle emerged from the constellations Cygnus, Lyra, and Eagle.

Star maps taken from the program Stellarium 0.11.

THE MOST EASY ACCESSIBLE OBJECTS OF THE FEBRUARY SKY:

In the evening, one of our closest galactic neighbors, the Andromeda Nebula (M31), is observed in the western sky. It is easily discernible even through binoculars as a large elongated foggy spot above the star ν Andromeda. This beautiful spiral galaxy is located 252 million light years from Earth. Its length is 260 thousand light years, which is 2.6 times longer than that of the Milky Way. In the sky of the Earth, it occupies an area of \u200b\u200b3.2 ° × 1.0 °. The magnitude is + 3.4m.

The Andromeda Nebula and its position in the constellation

The magnificent scattering of stars in the Pleiades (M45), similar to a small dipper, is easily visible with a simple glance in the constellation Taurus. The nine brightest stars in the cluster are named after the seven sisters of the Pleiades of ancient Greek mythology: Alcyone, Keleno, Maya, Merope, Steropa, Taygetus and Electra, as well as their parents Atlanta and Pleione. Long exposures reveal glowing blue nebulae that envelop the stars. The Pleiades star cluster is about 12 light-years in diameter and contains about 1,000 stars. The age of the Pleiades is estimated at 100 million years, and the distance to them is approximately 440 light years. The dust forming the nebula was previously thought to be the remnants of the material from which the cluster's stars were formed. However, in 100 million years this substance would be scattered by the pressure of stellar radiation. Apparently, the Pleiades are just now moving through an area of \u200b\u200bspace saturated with cosmic dust.