February Astronomy: What's in the North Texas sky this month?

A PLANETARY PARADE DELIGHT CONTINUES

Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn should be visible to the naked eye. The six planets will be visible until February 9. You'll need a high-powered viewing device like a telescope to spot Neptune and Uranus. Look toward the southeastern to southwestern sky.

The best time to view the planets will be after sunset around 8:30 p.m. You still might be able to catch Venus, Saturn, and Neptune on the horizon after that, but all three planets will be under the horizon by 11:30 p.m. to midnight. After that, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus will remain visible for a few more hours with Mars finally setting just before sunrise. 

On February 1, the crescent moon will be in close proximity to Venus. On February 5, the moon will be close to Uranus, although you’ll need a telescope to see it. By February 6, the moon will be directly above Jupiter. And finally, on February 9, it’s Mars’ turn to appear closest to the moon.

This best viewing opportunity is away from the urban lights of the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

A SNOW/HUNGER MOON

On February 12, there is a February full moon.

This full moon is called the "Snow Moon." It gets its name after snow on the ground during the month of February. Some Native American tribes call it the "Hunger Moon" due to the scarce food sources and hard hunting conditions during mid-winter.

The moon will be at its brightest at 7:53 a.m. CST on February 12, but it’ll be below the horizon. Its brightest visible appearance will be the night before or a little later in the day on the 12th.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT FEBRUARY AND FULL MOONS

An interesting distinction of February’s moon phases is that the month may not have any full moon at all. Because the lunar phase cycle is 29.5 days, when there is a full moon at the very end of January, there will be no full moon recorded that February. This absence is often called the “Black Moon” which keeps the naming cycle synced with other months.

The disappearance of February’s full moon happens approximately every 19 years, most recently in 2018. The next February without a full moon will be in 2037.

In 2048, a very rare February full moon occurrence will happen – when the full moon occurs on Leap Day, February 29. The timing of this one day every four years coincides so infrequently with the lunar phase cycle that there will only be four Leap Day full moons this millennium, with 2048 being the first. The other three Leap Day February full moons will occur in 2132, 2216, and 2376.

A VERY BRIGHT VENUS

There’ll be no better time to see Venus this year than on February 16th. On that night, Venus will be the brightest it will be this year. It should be the brightest object in the sky apart from the moon. This is the brightest that Venus will appear until September 2026. Look toward the southwestern to the western sky after sunset.

Venus's distance from the Earth varies from 24 million miles to 162 million miles.

MONTHLY MOON PHASES

GETTY IMAGES

Also, check out other phases of the moon this month.

On February 1st at 8:47 pm CST., the moon will be at perigee, which means it will be closest to the Earth for this orbit at 228,327 miles.

On February 17th at 7:10 pm CST., the moon will be at apogee, its farthest from the Earth for this orbit at 251,582 miles.

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FLY-BYS

The International Space Station will make flybys across the North Texas sky this month. The ISS appears as a fast-moving star across the night sky.

The International Space Station rotates around the Earth at a speed of 17,500 mph. The ISS rotates about its center of mass at a rate of about 4 degrees per minute so that it will complete a full rotation once per orbit. This allows it to keep its belly towards the Earth. One revolution around the planet takes about 90 minutes (16 per day).

Also, the International Space Station lies at an altitude of 250 miles above the Earth. By the way, that is 1.32 million feet. Most commercial airplanes fly between 33,000 to 42,000 feet.

Please enjoy these events happening in the night sky this month. Until then... Texans, keep looking up!