Learn what is happening in February 2009 and what has happened in February in the past. Discover highlights of the night sky and learn what to look for in February 2009.
February Highlight - A Wandering Visitor and Familar Bodies
NASA/JPL
Astronomers at the NCU Lulin Observatory in Taiwan discovered an unknown comet on July 11, 2007. This was confirmed July 14 by US astronomer James Young at Table Mountain. It was named Comet Lulin, C/2007 N3. Comet Lulin's path brings it close to Earth in Februay, reaching its closest point on the 21st. It should brighten to around 6th mag., easily visible with binoculars. Look for it near Libra on the 1st before it passes Virgo around the 13th. It grazes Saturn just after it's closest approach to Earth before traveling past Leo.
The goddess of love continues to shine in February. Jupiter & Mercury may have become morning "stars," but Venus still lights the night. Around mid-month, Saturn makes its appearance and Ceres continues to dazzle.
February Skymap
Nick Greene
Check out this map for the month of February, or create your own customized map with our Free Sky Maps tool.
Note: This map is for a median time and location and may have slight differences from your location and viewing time. Planets and moons shown on this map will have the highest probability of appearing in different locations.
Use this handy Sky Map Symbols Key to figure out what you should be looking for.
Events in February
NASA/JPL
Check out our Astronomical Events Calendar to learn about other happenings in space and on Earth. Here is a sampling of highlights.
- 7 - Cassini, Titan Flyby
- 9 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
- 10 - Kuiper Belt Object 55565 (2002 AW197) Closest Approach To Earth (45.576 AU)
- 12 - Neptune in Conjunction with the Sun
- 15 - Galileo Galilei's 445th Birthday (1564)
- 18 - Dawn, Mars Flyby
- 19 - Venus Reaches Greatest Brilliancy
- 25 - Asteroid Ceres at Opposition
- 28 - Space Technology 8 (ST8) Pegasus XL Launch
- 28 - 50th Anniversary (1959), Discoverer 1 Launch
Featured Constellation - Puppis
Nick Greene
Featured Biography - Govindasvami
Govindasvami (AKA Govindasvamin) was an Indian mathematical astronomer who was born about 800 AD. Govindasvami was about 30 when he wrote the Bhasya, a commentary on the Mahabhaskariya. The Mahabhaskariya included topics such as the longitudes of the planets, conjunctions of the planets with each other and with bright stars, eclipses of the sun and the moon, risings and settings, and the lunar crescent.This Month in History
Eliot Young (SwRI) et al., NASA
Check every day to learn what happened "This Day in History."
- 1: 2003 - Shortly after 9:00AM EST, the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-107) disintegrated in the skies above Texas, killing all crew members aboard.
- 4: 1906 - Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto, born.
- 5: 1971 - Apollo 14 landed on the moon.
- 14: 1950 - Karl Guthe Jansky, inventor of radio astronomy, died.
- 19: 1473 - Nicolaus Copernicus born in Torun, Poland.