You may be hoping that this Valentine’s Day, you can win your significant other over with some more stargazing after the spectacular Quadrantid showers in January and the circus of celestial events in December. But February isn’t expected to be a terrific wingman this year, with only a handful of events scheduled.
But don’t write it out as a failure just yet! February is the best month to take it easy in between astrophotography excursions, maybe even working on the annual maintenance of your star-spotting equipment, since it offers a unique opportunity to see a stunning galaxy and the dazzling conjunction of a few planets.
See what celestial happenings are planned for February 2024 by reading on!
February 8: Peaks of the Alpha-Centaurid Meteor Shower
Feeling peckish after experiencing the high of the Quadrantids? The Alpha-Centaurids can strike that meteor site if you have enough patience, albeit they’re not quite as intense.
Usually lasting from the end of January to February 21, this small shower peaks on February 8 at about 5 meteors per hour. It usually lasts for about a month. Look for the Centaurus constellation and wait to see the occurrence.
Sadly, only people in the Southern Hemisphere will be able to see the meteors, thus Indians might have to wait a little bit longer to satisfy their meteor desires. It’s unfortunate because there wouldn’t have been any moonlight at this time, which would have made for a fantastic viewing experience.
February 10: New Moon
As previously mentioned, this day marks the Moon’s planned ‘New’ phase, when our lunar neighbor vanishes into the deep blackness of the sky once a month.
This occurs when the rock momentarily disappears into its own shadow due to the Moon perfectly encircling the Earth and the Sun. The skies will be exceptionally dark because to the lack of reflected light, making it an amazing opportunity to go stargazing. This will happen at 4:29 AM in India.
February 15: Mars and Pluto Meet
Even if Pluto was exiled and Mars was among the first planets to orbit our Sun, the Red Planet will nevertheless see its former sibling!
On this day, you may be able to see Mars and Pluto rise simultaneously if you have binoculars or a telescope. The two bodies will cross paths in the sky at a distance of only 1°55′. Once more, as the couple will reach their greatest position in the sky during the dazzling daytime, they might not be visible from India.
February 19: Possibility of Observing Bode's Galaxy
We advise you to wait a little while before packing up your telescope in light of the recent events involving Mars and Pluto.
February’s second half promises to be even more exciting than the first, with the stunning discovery of Messier 81, a magnificent spiral galaxy located 12 million light-years away. This “grand design” beauty, also known as Bode’s Galaxy, gets its name from its large spiral arms. It will be at its best visibility at 7:23 PM IST.
M81, which is tucked away in the Ursa Major constellation, is a sight to behold and will only be fully appreciated with a telescope.
February 22: Venus and Mars Meet
Venus and Mars’s conjunction will be one of the astronomical occurrences of February’s spectacular finales. These planets will appear in the sky just 37 feet apart, scandalously near to each other’s embrace.
Sadly, a daytime combination will prevent Indian viewers from seeing this event from their home nation. This is unfortunate because the planets won’t get this near until 2026.
February 24: Snow Moon
The Full Moon, which is scheduled to reach its zenith at 6 PM IST, will be the last celestial event of the month. Because of the tremendous snowfall during this time of year, Native American tribes sometimes refer to this celestial show stopper as the “Snow Moon.” Because it is so hard to hunt during these winter months, some tribes sometimes refer to it as the “Hunger Moon.”