Whilst there is little of special interest to report this month, the night sky in February is still worth studying.

Many of the major constellations are high in the sky and it can be well worthwhile braving the low temperatures if the skies remain clear.

The Moon

There is a new moon at 1048 on Saturday 1st February. The next full moon is on Sunday 16th February at 2351.

Richard Angwin - Wiltshire weather is his expertise.

The first planet visible in the evening sky is Saturn. At the start of the month this appears in Taurus at sunset.

It is followed by Jupiter which is much brighter (magnitude -2.4).

Venus remains very bright in the morning sky (-4.2) with the much fainter Mars lying nearby.

NASA Activity

There are no Space Shuttle missions planned for this month but the International Space Station should be visible for the first two weeks of the month.

There are no significant meteor showers during the month of February.

Spring evenings are usually that much warmer with a greater chance of clear skies. So remember to check this page for details of all the exciting events happening above the county in March.

Richard Angwin