BellaOnline Forums Education Astronomy Start observing - look up!

Here is a photo taken ten days ago. The bright object is Venus. Saturn is above and to the right. The third bright object in this image – slightly below and to the right of Venus – is the red star Antares in the constellation Scorpius.

The pre-dawn sky is even better now, with five planets in it!

(Photo credit: Tom Wildoner in White Haven, Pennsylvania, taken January 11, 2016.)

Sky & Telescope magazine has some guidance to this week's sky at a glance.

It includes a diagram to seeing five planets before dawn.

Mona, might be able to see Mars and Jupiter but the others are too low on the horizon and the trees are too tall.

Angie, I like trees, but it's annoying when they're blocking my view of something I want to see. I'm surrounded by buildings, so don't have much of a sky view - oh, and cloudy skies, of course. Given a clear sky (Ha! So likely!) I'd be able to see something when I get out of the city week after next.

In What's up in February? Jane Huston Jones tells us what we can see in the sky - without optical aids, with binoculars, and - if you have one - with a telescope.

There's also a transcript of the short video in case you want to make a note of some of the events.

Bob King of Sky & Telescope writes

Have a look to find out what you can see. But don't leave it too long!

The Moon is currently waxing full – it will be full on Monday February 22nd. When the Moon is waxing full, watch out for Moon Halos. This picture of a Moon halo was taken on February 15th by Carl Richards in Northumberland, England. A Moon halo is created by ice crystals in high clouds which bend the moonlight into a ring.

A reminder from Steve Cariddi about what we can see this week:

Last night (the 23rd) we had a beautifully clear sky and were walking through a park with subdued lighting. The sky was wonderful. And I was especially taken with a luminous Jupiter close to the bright nearly-full Moon. I hope some of you were able to see it too.

Steve Cariddi tells us for this week:

Jupiter is nearing opposition, so it rises right around sunset and is visible all night. Just before dawn, Mars is visible in the south, Saturn is a little to the left (east) in the south-southeastern sky, and Venus is shining brightly low in the east-southeastern sky. The Moon will be near Mars on February 29th; on the 1st it will be between Mars and Saturn (with red Antares below it), and on the morning of March 2nd the Moon will be near Saturn.