The Night Sky This Month: February
Here are some of the things to see in February:
Alnilam
Flame Nebula
The Flame Nebula is an emission nebula located in the constellation Orion, the Hunter. The nebula lies at an approximate distance of 1,350 light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 2. It has the designation NGC 2024 in the New General Catalogue. The Flame Nebula occupies an area of 30 arcminutes of … [Read more…]
Highlights of the Night Sky in February
Here are some of the planets, constellations and deep sky objects to see in February:
Betelgeuse
Betelgeuse, Alpha Orionis, is the second brightest star in Orion constellation and the ninth brightest star in the sky. It is a supergiant star, distinctly red in colour, located at an approximate distance of 643 light years from Earth. It is an evolved star, one expected to explode as a supernova in a relatively near … [Read more…]
Orion’s Belt
Orion’s Belt is one of the most familiar asterisms in the night sky, along with the Big Dipper and the Southern Cross. It is formed by three massive, bright stars located in our galaxy, in the direction of the constellation Orion, the Hunter: Alnilam, Alnitak and Mintaka. Two of the three stars are supergiants.
Highlights of the February Sky
Here are some of the planets, constellations and deep sky objects you can see in the night sky in February: 8 PM southeastern sky – Jupiter rising after sunset 11:30 PM eastern sky – Mars rising later in the evening, climbing higher throughout the night 9 PM southern sky – Orion constellation prominent in the … [Read more…]