This is not intended to be comprehensive - it is a quick guide to help you find a few things in the night sky without any equipment, just your eyes. All of these are bright and relatively easy to find when walking around the village, or from slightly darker spots on the edge of Eynsham.
The Planets This Month
Jupiter
At the start of February, Jupiter is already up by around 5:45pm, sitting in the eastern sky. It remains visible through the evening and much of the night, finally setting in the North-West around daybreak (about 6:30am).
By the end of the month, Jupiter is high in the southern sky at sunset (around 6:45pm). It then moves westwards through the night and sets earlier, at about 4:30am, still giving plenty of opportunity to see it during the evening.
Jupiter is very bright and steady, and remains the easiest planet to spot this month.
Saturn
Saturn is now drawing toward the end of its evening visibility.
At the beginning of February, it is already up by 5:45pm, appearing in the south-south-west, and then sinks toward the horizon, setting in the West at around 8:30pm.
By the end of the month, Saturn is very low in the western sky at sunset, and sets shortly afterwards. It will be increasingly difficult to see as February goes on.
Venus and Mercury
After sunset, look low in the south-south-west for a very bright Venus and a much dimmer Mercury in the evening twilight. Both planets will be very low and difficult to see, and a clear horizon with no cloud is essential. Spotting either will be challenging and is something of a bonus this month.
The Moon
The Moon is prominent at the very start of the month. On 1 February, it rises at around 4:30pm in the North-East, before sunset, and will be an obvious feature of the early evening sky.
International Space Station (ISS)
There are no well-placed evening ISS passes this month.
The best pass occurs early in the morning at around 6:22am. During this pass, the International Space Station emerges from the Earth’s shadow high in the western sky, crosses the sky for around eight minutes, and sets in the East.
At magnitude -3.7, it will be extremely bright comparable to a very bright Venus and will appear as a steady, fast-moving point of light with no flashing lights. See the accompanying chart for details.
Other passes do occur, but they are also confined to the early morning hours.
What Else to Look For
The Pleiades (The Seven Sisters)
One of the most rewarding sights in the February evening sky is the Pleiades star cluster, sometimes known as the Seven Sisters. Look toward the south-west after sunset for a small, misty patch of light that looks a little like a tiny cloud.
Most people can see six or seven stars, though some see more. It’s a good test of how dark the sky is where you are standing, and once you’ve spotted it, you’ll find it easy to recognise again.
Star Colours in the Winter Sky
February is also a good time to notice that stars are not all the same colour. Some appear white or blue-white, while others have a warmer orange or red tint. This is a real effect, linked to how hot the stars are.
You don’t need to know any star names to enjoy this, simply compare the brighter stars you can see on a clear evening.
Longer Evenings Returning
Although nights are still long enough for stargazing, February is the month when many people begin to notice that the evenings are slowly getting lighter. Sunset is noticeably later by the end of the month, marking the gradual transition from winter toward spring.
Charts
Here are the folloing charts to help you find -
- The Pleiades star cluster - to help you locate this small, misty group of stars in the evening sky
- Phases of the Moon - showing how the Moon changes shape through the month
- The Moon, Saturn, and Venus & Mercury (20th) a guide to spotting these objects together low in the evening twilight
- A bright International Space Station pass (23rd) showing the path of the ISS across the sky
- The Moon and Jupiter (27th) highlighting their close pairing in the night sky