Skywatch Line for Monday and Tuesday, February 17th and 18th, by Joe Slomka
This is the Skywatch Line for Monday and Tuesday, February 17th and 18th.
The Sun sets at 5:30 PM; night falls at 6:32. Dawn begins at 5:13 AM and ends with the Sun rising at 6:48.
Monday’s Moon resides in Virgo, sets at 8:47 AM and rises at 10:53 PM; Monday, the Moon is at apogee (furthest from Sun) at 8:11 PM. Tuesday, the Moon moves to Libra, sets at 9:08 AM and rises at Midnight; by 1 AM it is 8° high in the Southeast, appears 27 arc-minutes, 63% lit and sets Wednesday at 9:32 AM.
Saturn and Neptune lie very close to the horizon; an observer will have difficulty unless one is unobstructed to the West. Saturn is closest to Aquarius, sets at 8:13 PM, 38° from the Sun, 1st magnitude, 16 arc-seconds in size and 1° from the Sun.
Neptune and Venus share Pisces. Neptune is slightly more removed, 8th magnitude, appears 2 arc-seconds, 23° high and sets at 9:10 PM. Venus is also adjacent, 11° from Neptune; brilliant Venus blazes with minus 4th magnitude, appears 30 arc-seconds, rises at 9:06 AM, highest at 3:01 PM 21° high and sets at 8:56 PM in the South.
Southern Uranus, in Aries, rests midway between Venus and Jupiter, rises at 11:38 AM, 6th magnitude, 4 arc-seconds, rises at 11:38 AM, 60°Highest at 6:48 PM and sets at 2:02 AM.
Jupiter is brightest now that Saturn set; in Taurus, gleaming with minus 2nd magnitude, 44 arc-seconds, rises at 12:39 PM, 60 highest at 8:04 PM and sets at 3:32 AM. Monday, Io’s shadow begins to travel across the planet at 8:24 PM. The Great Red Spot (a giant storm) is visible at 8:50 PM. Tuesday, Ganymede launches its trip at 4:28 AM.
Southern Mars, in Gemini, rises at 3:14 PM, shines with minus 1st magnitude, a moderate 14 arc-seconds, 63° highest at 11 PM and sets at 6:51 AM; situated between the stars Pollux and Castor.
Comet 29P, by 1 AM positioned for observation; still 15th magnitude, rises at 5:18 PM, highest at Midnight, near Regulus in Leo and sets at 6:38 AM.
In 1762, Charles Messier discovered his first comet. This is not an unusual event; comets have been observed for millennia – usually by accident. Messier wanted to observe them systematically by scanning the skies. While searching, he kept finding fuzzy things that looked like comets, but never moved.(Comets travel across the sky.) He listed over a hundred such objects, so he would not be fooled again. These objects (later identified as galaxies and star clusters) form the basic list for beginning astronomers.
Clear Skies Joe Slomka