February sky events to watch for

Feb. 7 (Monday) Planet Uranus Conjunction with Moon.

About an hour after sunset (6:307 p.m.), Uranus will be within 2 degrees west of the first quarter Moon. Look two little finger widths held at arm’s length to the right of the Moon and scan that area with binoculars. Uranus will be the brightest “star” in that area. If you have good night vision, you may be able to see a blue-green tint as well.

Feb. 12 (Saturday) Venus at Greatest Illuminated Extent.

Venus becomes the “Morning Star” at the beginning of February. It will continue to rise higher in the predawn sky and reach maximum brightness on Feb. 12. Don’t feel you missed it if you slept in or clouds got in the way. Venus is so bright, you’ll be able to see it shine before sunrise like a Boeing 747 landing light. Venus will be about 10 to 15 degrees above the east-southeast horizon for the rest of February.

Feb. 16 (Wednesday) Full Snow Moon.

Native Americans so named this Moon because February was usually the snowiest month of the year.

Feb. 18 (Friday) Zodiacal Light Returns.

The angle between the Sun, Earth, and our solar system’s disk is favorable to see sunlight reflect off the dusty leftovers of our solar system’s formation. It will appear as a tall dim foggy spike above the western horizon about 1 1/2 hours after sunset. Best viewing will be between now and the end of February. You must find a dark sky site to see this phenomenon. Any light pollution, especially near the western horizon, will outshine the zodiacal light. Zodiacal light is so named because it’s located along the ribbon of sky called the zodiac where all the astrological birth sign constellations reside.