The blissfully dark nights surrounding this month’s new moon phase on Feb. 17 present a perfect opportunity to explore the wonders of the post-sunset realm while free of the glare cast by our natural satellite.
A new moon phase occurs when the moon is positioned directly between the sun and Earth, meaning the moon isn’t visible at night and is hidden by the sun’s glare during the day. February’s new moon phase occurred at 7:01 a.m. EST (1201 GMT), heralding the onset of a spectacular annular solar eclipse visible across a swathe of Antarctica, as the lunar disk passed in front of the sun, leaving only the “ring of fire” of its outer edge on display.
Visible planets
Mercury will shine low in the west in the hour following sunset on Feb. 17, appearing as a bright “evening star” less than 20 degrees above the horizon. If you’re incredibly lucky — and have a clear view of the western horizon — then you may be able to spot the steady light of Venus vying for attention in the glow of the setting sun below Mercury on Feb. 17, before it follows our parent star swiftly out of sight.
Saturn will be visible less than 15 degrees to the upper left of Mercury. Its iconic rings are finally starting to reveal themselves after seeming to “disappear” in November last year, when they turned edge-on in relation to Earth, making them appear as little more than a thin line.
Dark nights around the new moon phase are the perfect time to hunt twinkling constellations through the winter sky. Look to the left of Jupiter to find Castor and Pollux — the two stars that represent the twins in the constellation Gemini.
The gleaming star directly below Jupiter in the evening sky is Procyon, the brightest member of the constellation Canis Minor, the little dog. Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, sits at the heart of Canis Majoris — the big dog — and can be found shining roughly 20 degrees to its lower right (roughly the width of two stacked fists held at arm’s length), with the stars Wezen and blue Adhara forming its rear leg.
Both stellar hounds hunt the night sky alongside their master, the hunter depicted in the constellation Orion, the colorful stars of which can be spotted to the upper right of Sirius in the hours following sunset on Feb. 17.
Look out for the red giant star Betelgeuse, which marks the right shoulder of Orion and the blue supergiant Rigel, which marks the left foot. Between are the three familiar points of Orion’s Belt, and hanging below that is the milky light of the Orion Nebula — a colossal stellar nursery that orbits within the Milky Way roughly 1,500 light-years from Earth.
To the right of Orion will be the red light of Aldebaran, the star which marks the eye of the great bull in the constellation Taurus. Notice a hazy patch of light to the upper right of Aldebaran? That’s the Pleiades, a vast star cluster teeming with over a thousand blue-white stars, which makes for a magnificent target, whether you’re viewing with the naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope.
Next, look to the northeast to find the seven stars of the “Big Dipper” asterism standing on its end close to the horizon. Locate the two uppermost stars — Merak and Dubhe — and draw an imaginary line from the former through the latter and out into space. The next bright star you find will be Polaris, the “North Star“, around which the entire sky appears to revolve.
Continue following that line and look slightly higher to find the five bright stars of Cassiopeia, arrayed in a zig-zagging formation reminiscent of a sideways “W”, or “M”, which is said to portray a queen who was cast into the stars after falling foul of the Greek god Poseidon.
Want to get a closer look at the night sky? Then be sure to check out our picks of the top binoculars and telescopes for exploring the planets and constellations, while photographers should read our selection of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography.
Editor’s Note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with Space.com’s readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
