Posted on 02/03/2019 10:28:53 PM PST by BenLurkin
On the night of the new moon itself, observers in midnorthern latitudes will see the classic winter constellations of Orion, Taurus, Gemini and Canis Major for most of the night. All of these constellations will be above the horizon by 7 p.m. local time. Orion's distinctive belt of three stars — Alnilam, Alnitak and Mintaka — will be at an altitude of about 40 degrees in the south-southeast, while Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, will be about 21 degrees high. Looking just to the east and south of Orion (to the right and upward in the northern hemisphere), one can spy Aldebaran, which marks the "head" of Taurus the bull, and looking to the north and west, one will see the stars Castor and Pollux, in the constellation Gemini.
As for planets, Venus will continue to be a morning star in February, rising over New York City at 4:17 a.m. on Feb. 4, according to heavens-above.com. Mars will rise later that morning and be visible for a few hours after sunset before slipping below the horizon at 10:55 p.m. local time. At about 7 p.m. on Feb. 4, the Red Planet will be at an altitude of 37 degrees above the western horizon in the constellation Pisces. Pisces is a relatively faint constellation, so from city locations, Mars' brightness, combined with its distinctive red hue, will make it easy to spot.
From dark-sky locations, observers with a pair of binoculars or a small telescope can spot the planet Uranus, which, at magnitude 5.8, is near the limit for the naked eye. Uranus will be in Pisces near Mars.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
Bookmark for later.
“Uranus will be in Pisces near Mars...”
Gotta watch for that alone...
Doubtful the sky will be clear. This is CNY.
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