Comet Lovejoy fades slightly but remains accessible to stargazers in February as it moves northward into the constellations Andromeda and Perseus. Jupiter reaches opposition of Feb. 6 and remains in prime position for telescopic observing over the next couple of months. And Venus and Mars make an amazingly close approach in the western sky after sunset, accompanied by a thin crescent Moon. Here’s what to see in the night sky this month…
3 Feb. Full Moon, 22:09 UT
3 Feb. The bright disk of Jupiter lies with 6º of the full Moon.
5 Feb. The Moon, now just past full, wanders near the 1st magnitude star Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo. Bright Jupiter lies to the west.
5 Feb. Today, Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) is less than a degree west of the 2nd magnitude star Almaak (γ Andromedae) well above the northwestern horizon (as seen from the northern hemisphere). The comet is still about 5th magnitude at the beginning of February, and it should be easy to spot in binoculars as a faint smudge as it moves north through the constellations Andromeda and Perseus this month. Moonlight detracts from the view during the first week of February. For southern-hemisphere observers, the comet is low over the northwestern horizon at the beginning of the month and moves below the horizon near month’s end.
Sky and Telescope has a good PDF map for Comet Lovejoy for February and March at this link…
6 Feb. Jupiter reaches opposition, rising at sunset and setting at sunrise. The planet reaches peak brightness for the year at magnitude -2.6, far brighter than any star. The disk also reaches maximum apparent size with a diameter of 45″. The planet is in prime position for telescopic viewing over the next couple of months.
11 Feb. Last Quarter Moon, 14:50 UT
13 Feb. The waning crescent Moon lies just to the east of the planet Saturn in the eastern sky before dawn. The red supergiant star Antares, the bright star at the heart of Scorpius, the Scorpion, lies slightly to the south.
18 Feb. New Moon, 22:47 UT
21 Feb. In an amazing close approach, Venus and Mars appear to be separated by less than 1/2 of a degree in the western sky after sunset. They’re joined by a thin crescent Moon on the 20th and 21st. At magnitude -3.9, brilliant white Venus appears about 100x brighter than Mars. If you can, examine the pair in a telescope. Venus is nearly 90% illuminated and has a disk about 12″ wide. Mars is just 4″ across and reveals little detail because of its great distance from Earth.
25 Feb. First Quarter Moon, 16:14 UT