Observing a Far-Southern Star

Name the 2nd brightest star in the sky.  Most northern sky watchers would say Arcturus.  The 2nd brightest star, however is the southern star Canopus, in the asterism Argo Navis.  Why is this star not well known to observers from mid-northern latitudes?  Altitude.  The star passes only five degrees above the horizon from latitude 35 north.  But, with a clear horizon, you can easily see the golden star, far below Orion as shown on the below chart.  This star is actually the best kept secret of the sky!  These late February evenings, at around 8:00 PM, the star shines low above the horizon, almost

looking like a distant terestrial light.  So now you know:  The 2nd brightest star in the sky is Canopus, and it is visible from mid-northern latitudes!

Comet 45/P back!

Last December, I wrote about the comet 45/P.  Well, it's back!  It's now getting high up in the morning sky, charts below.  It should be an easy grab in binoculars.

The chart at the left shows where the comet will be in relation to the rest of the sky.  The Moon will be bright, so you probably won't see it with your unaided eye.  Scan the area on the map with binoculars. The chart positions are for 3:00 AM, 15th.  Just keep in mind the sky will have shifted 15 degrees in one hour.  The comet should appear much as it did last December: A faint grey-green fuzz ball.

Next Friday's Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

A Penumbral eclipse the moon occurs on Feb 10.  This will be easily visible from the eastern USA, but might not be from the west coast.  Don't let that deter you!  Look at the Moon as it rises, and see if later it has dimmed a bit.  This is the opposite situation of the penumbral eclipse we had last March, which favored the west coast and occurred near sunrise.  Note that the part of the moon with the most shading will be its northern edge.  Good Luck!