How and When to See the Brightest Planets Presented in February
Over the past two months, we have seen some pretty amazing things in the night sky. On the other hand, February is a bit quieter, especially when it comes to planets. Of the five planets that we usually see with the naked eye (these will be Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn), in fact, only Mars will be relatively easy to detect this month. This is because the other four planets will be located fairly close to the Sun.
But this does not mean that you will not be able to see them at all. Here’s how and when to find each, courtesy of advice from Joe Rao , an instructor and guest lecturer at the Hayden Planetarium in New York who writes for Space.com.
Mercury
It is best to catch Mercury towards the end of the month. Per Rao :
On February 8, Mercury passes through the lower conjunction (the passage between the Earth and the Sun). It then moves into the morning sky, possibly becoming visible in the last week of February, very low in the east-southeast, joining two other planets also appearing. due to the bright light of the rising sun: Saturn and Jupiter.
Venus
According to Rao, perhaps , we have missed a chance to see Venus in February, but it will return:
Venus can only be seen in the first few days of the month, very low above the east-southeast horizon, only for a short time before sunrise. But he soon disappears into the sun on his way to a better connection on March 26th.
Mars
Not only will Mars be visible, we won’t have to stay up too late to see it, Rao says :
Mars, a lonely planet that is easy to see in February, sits near the meridian at sunset and remains in sight until midnight. Moving from Aries to Taurus on the 23rd, this planet gradually disappears in magnitude from +0.5 to +0.9.
Jupiter
Wait until mid-month to catch a glimpse of Jupiter, Rao notes :
Jupiter begins the month too close to the Sun to be seen. February 14, “maybe” is the right morning to try and see it for the first time in the morning; it begins to appear very low on the east-southeast horizon, at least half an hour before sunrise.
Saturn
Finding Saturn requires a little patience , Rao said :
Saturn-like Jupiter begins February, hidden in the bright rays of the sun. In the second half of the month, it begins to slowly appear against the background of dawn twilight.
Happy planet hunting!