The Sky At A Glance

The Moon & Planets

On February 9, a waning gibbous Moon passes S of Mars. On the 13th, a waning gibbous passes S of Saturn. On the evening of the 22nd, a very thin crescent lies to the right of Mercury. A crescent passes N of Venus on the 25th, and N of Jupiter on the 26th.

Evening Planets (after sunset)

• Mercury, W
• Uranus, W
• Venus, W
• Jupiter, SW
• Mars, E

Visible at Midnight

• Mars, SE
• Saturn, SE

Morning Planets (before sunrise)

• Mars, W
• Saturn, SW

Comet C/2009 P1 (Garradd) may brighten slightly, from magnitude 6.8 to 6.7. It moves from Hercules into Draco on February 13, and on into Ursa Minor on the 29th. This month the comet becomes circumpolar from mid-northern latitudes. Photo op alert: it passes within a half-degree of the globular cluster M92 on February 3.

There are no major meteor showers in February.