 |
||||||||
GARRETT COUNTY SKIESBy Dr. Bob Doyle, Frostburg State Planetarium Sun and Moon this month – As February begins, the Sun appears in front of the stars of Capricornus, moving a degree a day eastward relative to the stars. At 9 p.m.on February 16th, the sun enters Aquarius, where it remains till mid day on March 11. Both of these star groups are nearly lost in the Sun’s glare in February. The star group Pisces is to the East of Aquarius so it sets after the Sun, appearing low in the southwestern dusk. The star group Sagittarius, to the west of Capricornus rises before the Sun and is visible low in the southeastern dawn. In early February, sunrises in Oakland are about 7:20 a.m. while sunsets are about 5:43 p.m.(10.5 hours of daylight). Around the end of February, Oakland’s sunrises are about 6:55 a.m. and sunsets occur about 6:05 p.m. (11.2 hours of daylight). So during February, the stars are last seen around 6:10 a.m.(early dawn) and then reappear about 7 p.m.(late dusk). As February opens, the evening moon is just past half full in the evening sky. To the right of the moon is the planet Jupiter. Along the straight or left edge of the moon, the sun there is rising, lighting up the crater rims and mountain ranges. Those with binoculars or telescopes can see the craters and lunar terrain best at this moon phase or shape. On February 3rd, the moon appears above the star group Orion in the southern evening sky. On February 7th, the moon is full, rising as the sun sets and hanging in the sky all night long. On February 9th, the moon appears to the right of the yellow planet Mars in the late evening sky. On February 12th and 13th, the moon appears near the planet Saturn in the southern dawn. On February 14th, the moon appears half full in the southern dawn sky. On February 21st, the moon passes North of the sun, swinging from the morning sky (to West of sun) to the evening sky (to East of sun). At 6:45 p.m. on February 23th, the crescent moon appears low in the western dusk. Below and to the left of the moon is the planet Mercury. On February 25th, the crescent moon appears to the right of the brilliant planet Venus in the western dusk. On February 26th, the crescent moon will be to the right of the bright planet Jupiter. On February 29th, the moon appears half full, once again at its best for viewing craters and mountains with binoculars or a small telescope. Planets this month – The five nearest planets are easily seen by eye, four of them shining steadily in contrast to the twinkling stars. Of the five, Mercury is usually the most difficult to see, at a low angle to the sun and seen very close to the horizon. Mercury can be seen very low in the western dusk in the last week of February when it sets more than an hour after the sun. The brilliant planet Venus is great in February with its setting time increasing from 3 to nearly 4 hours after sunset. Venus sets about 9 p.m. in early February which slides to nearly 10 p.m. in late February. The bright planet Jupiter is easily seen in the evening sky; it's setting time is just after Midnight in early February. By late February, Jupiter will be setting just before 11 p.m. In early February, the planet Mars rises in the East about 8:45 p.m. By the end of February, Mars will be rising about sunset (6:05 p.m.) In February, Saturn is a southern dawn object. At the start of February, Saturn rises about 11:35 p.m., sliding to 10 p.m. as the month ends. Evening Stars this month - In February, the bright winter evening stars are on full display all through the evening hours. In fact, the bright stars in the southern evening sky make a 'W'. Look for Orion with his three star belt. Just above and to the left of the belt is pinkish Betelgeuse, the top middle star of the 'W'. Orion's belt points down and left to Sirius, the left bottom star of the 'W'. Above and further to the left is Procyon, the left top star of the 'W'. Below and to the right of the belt is Rigel, Orion's brightest star. Rigel is the right bottom star of the 'W'. Orion's belt points right and up to Aldebaran, the top right star of the 'W'. High over Orion is the bright golden star Capella. Farther to the West of Capella are the Pleiades or 7 Sisters star cluster, resembling a tiny dipper. The Big Dipper is in the North Northeastern sky, with its scoop on top and handle below. The two top stars of the scoop point down and left to the North Star. The Frostburg State will resume its sky shows in February with Sunday programs at 4 p.m. in Compton Science Center. Our programs will as usual show the current evening sky sights. Our February main feature is "Bears and Their Skies", reviewing the different species of bears (from polar regions to the tropics) and the sky sights they would see. Our program will end in the Science Discovery Center where we have a fine collection of Bear specimens on display. To receive a planetarium schedule (or bookmark), call (301) 687-7799 and state your name and mailing address. You can also access the Planetarium section of the Frostburg State website at www.frostburg.edu/planetarium .
|
||||||||
 |
||||||||