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Watch for zodiacal light in the last week of February

Saskatchewan Skies
James Edgar

The moon is at last quarter as the month begins. The early morning of Feb. 6 sees Venus and Mercury both within four degrees of the moon. Feb. 16, Aldebaran is occulted for viewers around the Pacific Ocean, but for Canada it is a close encounter only. The moon is full Feb. 22. Feb. 2, Jupiter is less than two degrees away. Perigee (closest approach to Earth at 364,360 kilometres) is Feb. 10; apogee (the most distant from Earth at 405,383 kilometres) is Feb. 26.

Mercury is visible in the early morning, best for southern viewers. Watch for close encounters with the moon and Venus on the morning of Feb. 6 and again for Venus Feb. 13. Mercury averages 77 million kilometres from Earth, but this distance varies greatly depending on where each planet is in its respective orbit.

Venus has been shining brightly in the eastern morning skies for some time, and it continues its brilliance throughout the month. As noted above, watch for close approaches of the moon and Mercury Feb. 6 and of Mercury Feb. 13. Venus at its closest approach to Earth is at an average distance of 41 million kilometres. Again, the distance between each planet varies greatly, depending on the position of each.

Mars is an early morning object, rising shortly after midnight, and blending into the dawn sky at sunrise. The Red Planet can be as close as 54.6 million kilometres, and as far away as 225 million kilometres.

Jupiter rises in the east in the early evening, retrograding in the constellation Leo, the Lion. Watch for the moon nearby on the morning of Feb. 24. Jupiter lies about 778 million kilometres from Earth, approximately 5.2 times the distance from the sun to the Earth (one astronomical unit or AU).

Saturn is an early morning object, and well placed for viewing for northern observers. The Ringed Planet is at an average distance of 1.2 billion kilometres from Earth, about eight AU.

Uranus isn’t much of an observer’s target, since it becomes visible low in the western dusk, setting in mid-evening. The icy Uranus is at an average distance of 2.5 billion kilometres.

Neptune is much the same as Uranus, except it disappears even earlier in the western twilight and is behind the sun Feb. 28. The blue and cold Neptune is at an average distance of 4.4 billion kilometres, or 30 AU.

The zodiacal light should be visible in the west after sundown for the last week of February and the first week of March.

— James Edgar has had an interest in the night sky all his life. He joined The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 2000 and is now the Society’s president, assistant editor and a contributor to the renowned Observer’s Handbook, and production manager of the bi-monthly RASC Journal. He was given the RASC Service Award at the 2012 General Assembly in Edmonton.