| From February 1st to 29th | Orion, the hunter who rules the night sky |
| February 14 | Comet C/2021 S3 (PanSTARRS) comes closest to the sun |
| February 24th | full snow moon |
| February 29th | leap day |
February brings weather rodents and romance, but Valentine’s Day Comet and Leap Day will make February 2024 even more exciting. The shortest month of the year offers several opportunities to look up at the night sky and see some unique celestial objects. If you live in the northern hemisphere, the cold winter weather makes the sky a little easier to see. cold, cloudy air. Here are some notable space events with Valentine (or groundhog).
[Related: Why we turn stars into constellations.]
February 1st to 29th – Orion, the hunter who rules the night sky
One of the brightest constellations in the sky will dominate this month. orion, hunter It will be best visible in the southern sky after midnight local time. It is best to look for her three stars, which make up the belt of Orion. These three stars form a straight line in the middle of the hunter.
This constellation is made up of more than a dozen stars, Two particularly bright spots: Betelgeuse and Rigel. The red supergiant star Betelgeuse shines on the right shoulder of Orion. Betelgeuse was only around 10 million years old, making him a baby compared to the Sun, which is nearly 5 billion years old. The brightest star in this constellation is the blue supergiant star Rigel, located towards Hunter’s left foot. Rigel is about 8 million years old and has a surface temperature of 36,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
February 14 – Comet C/2021 S3 (PanSTARRS) approaches the sun
this comet C/2021 S3 (Panstars) On Valentine’s Day, it will reach its closest point to the sun, or perihelion. It shines at a very bright magnitude (7.3) and should be quite visible on a clear night. If you live in the Northeastern United States, southeast horizon at least 2 hours before dawn. The comet will make its closest (but not dangerous) approach to Earth on March 14th this year.
[Related: Why leap years exist.]
February 24th – Full Snow Moon
February’s full moon Illuminations will peak at 7:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, February 24th. You can still see it all Friday night. It will drift eastward over the horizon around sunset and reach its highest point in the sky around midnight Saturday.
February is known for its heavy snowfall, so the name Snow Moon is a no-brainer.it is Also called The month in which the bear cub is born or Makunsag gaa nitawaadi giigis Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwa), midwinter moon, or Zaatekoselha sister of Oneida and the waning moon, or Tahch’awɛka In Tunica.
February 29 – Leap Day
Although not visible from Earth, leap days are technically an astronomical event.
it takes away our earth Approximately 365.2422 days It makes a complete revolution around the sun. That means there are about 6 extra hours each year that aren’t included in the calendar year. Therefore, every four years, at the end of February, his 24 hours will be added to the calendar. Without leap days, annual events such as the summer and winter solstices, and the spring and fall equinoxes would be delayed to the second half of the year. According to NASAit only takes 100 years for summer to start in mid-July instead of June.
The same sky-gazing rules that apply to almost all stargazing activities are key this month. Go to a dark place, away from city or town lights, and allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness for about 30 minutes.
