Each Monday, I pick out North America’s celestial highlights for the week ahead (which also apply to mid-northern latitudes in the northern hemisphere), but be sure to check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more.
The Night Sky This Week: February 12-18, 2024
As we move into the second week of February, the night sky offers some stunning celestial events for stargazers to enjoy. The highlight is the appearance of the crescent moon in the early evening, which you can watch grow evening by evening as it passes Jupiter.
Here’s everything you need to know about stargazing and astronomy this week:
Monday, February 12: Crescent Moon And ‘Earthshine’
A 13%-lit slim waxing crescent moon will be visible in the southwestern sky just after sunset, slightly higher than last night and in the sky for somewhat longer. Look for “Earthshine” on the crescent moon’s dark side—sunlight reflected from Earth’s ice-caps and clouds onto the moon’s surface. Far above the moon will be Jupiter.
Tuesday, February 13: Crescent Moon And ‘Earthshine’
A 21%-lit waxing crescent moon will be visible in the southwestern sky just after sunset, slightly higher than last night and in the sky for slightly longer.
Wednesday, February 14: Crescent Moon And Jupiter
Look again to the southwest after dark to see a 32%-lit waxing crescent moon closing in on Jupiter, the brightest planet in the night sky.
Friday, February 16: First Quarter Moon And Pleiades
Today, our natural satellite in space reaches its First Quarter stage, when is appears to be half-lit as seen from the surface of Earth. Look south to see the half-lit moon and get close to one of the most beautiful sights in the night sky—the Pleiades open cluster. Also called the “Seven Sisters” and M45, the Pleiades’ brightest star, Alcyone, will be about three degrees to the moon’s right.
Object Of The Week: International Space Station
Have you ever seen the International Space Station? It buzzes around the planet every 90 minutes while traveling faster than a speeding bullet, but it’s simple to find if you know how.
Spot The Station is NASA’s latest app for iOS and Android smartphones, which shows a 3-D representation of Earth with the current path of the ISS showing cutting around it. It also shows your exact location on Earth. At the top of the screen are two boxes: one that tells you the date of the next sighting from where you live, while the other gives you a countdown of days, hours, minutes, and seconds.
The ISS is typically visible only around sunset and sunrise. That’s because you’re actually seeing sunlight reflecting off the spacecraft’s solar panels, so the sun has to be just below the horizon.
Stargazing Tip Of The Week: The Moon’s Libration
The moon is tidally locked to Earth, always showing the same face. However, there is some wriggle room—literally. As the moon moves around Earth, it wobbles, something called libration, revealing about 59% of the surface over a year. This animation from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, above, is 2023 as a time-lapse, showing the libration and craters, lava seas, and where NASA landed the Apollo missions.
The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like Stellarium and The Sky Live. Check planet-rise/planet-set, sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset times for where you are.
I’m an expert on the night sky and author of Stargazing In 2024: 50 Easy Things To See In The Night Sky From North America. For the very latest on sky events and the total solar eclipse please subscribe or check my main feed regularly for new articles.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
