What’s up in the sky? February 2025

February ’s Evening Planets:
Venus is at its brightest this month and will be visible until around 9 PM in Pisces the Fish. Find Jupiter in Taurus the Bull throughout February. Red Mars is in Gemini the Twins all night. Saturn will be between Aquarius the Water bearer and Pices the Fish in the first half of the month after sunset. Neptune is in Pices the Fish until 9 PM, setting earlier every night until 7 PM by the end of February. Uranus will be between Taurus the Bull and Aries the Ram throughout the night.
February ’s Evening Stars:
View the Winter Triangle; Sirius, the brightest star viewed from Earth, in Canis Major the Great Dog; Betelgeuse in Orion the Hunter; and Procyon in Canis Minor the Small Dog. Spot Rigel in Orion, Capella in Auriga the Charioteer, Aldebaran in Taurus the Bull, and bright Castor and Pollux in Gemini the Twins. Also find the stars of constellations Cassiopeia, Perseus, Cepheus, Draco, Leo, Aries, and Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (the Big and Little Dippers).
February ’s Morning Planets:
Look for red Mars is in Gemini the Twins all night until around 6 AM and setting earlier each night, reaching 4 AM by the end of the month. Jupiter will be up in Taurus the Bull until around 3 AM and setting earlier every night. Mercury is in Pisces the Fish in the last week of the months, close to the Horizon until around 7 PM.
February ’s Morning Stars:
See the Summer Triangle of Vega in Lyra the Harp, Deneb in Cygnus the Swan, and Altair in Aquila the Eagle as 4:30 AM at the beginning of the month and earlier every day. Look for Capella in Auriga, reddish Antares in Scorpius, Castor and Pollux in Gemini, Arcturus in Boötes the Herds-man, and Spica in Virgo, along with the stars of constellations Leo, Hercules, Libra, Cancer, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Draco, Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor (the Big and Little Dippers).
February Skylights
Feb 1 Moon at perigee (228,300 miles away) – Snow Supermoon
Feb 5 First Quarter Moon at 3:00 AM
Feb 6 Moon is 5° north of Jupiter, Midnight
Feb 12 Full Moon at 8:55 AM
Feb 14 Venus is at it’s brightest in 2025 (-4.9), Sunset
Feb 17 Moon at apogee (251,600 miles away)
Feb 20 Third Quarter Moon at 12:30 PM
Feb 21 Moon is 1/2 ° south of Antares, Pre-dawn
Feb 27 New Moon at 7:45 PM
Feb 28 Moon is 0.4° south of Mercury, Midnight