The thin waxing crescent moon appears by Mercury low on the western horizon a short while after sunset on February 22.
Tonight
Feb 21, 2012
Tonight
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Two meek animals seem to cower at the feet of the constellation Orion the Hunter. They are Lepus the Hare and Columba the Dove.
Feb 20, 2012
Tonight
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Look for the bright star Rigel below Orion’s Belt stars. If this star were as close as our sun, it would outshine the sun by 40,000 times!
Feb 19, 2012
Brightest Stars
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Sirius – in the constellation Canis Major the Greater Dog – is the sky’s brightest star. It’s very easy to spot on winter and spring evenings.
Feb 19, 2012
Tonight
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Betelgeuse is a rare supergiant star. There might be only one red supergiant star like Betelgeuse for every million stars in our Milky Way galaxy.
Feb 18, 2012
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Face the northwestern horizon as darkness falls on February evenings to find the Double Cluster in the constellation Perseus.
Feb 17, 2012
Tonight
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Our sky chart shows Cassiopeia the Queen in the hours after sunset on these February evenings. This constellation has the shape of the letter M or W.
Feb 16, 2012
Tonight
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For the southern U.S., the star Canopus appears below Sirius this month in the southern evening sky. These are the sky’s two brightest stars!
Feb 16, 2012
Brightest Stars
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From southerly latitudes, you’ll easily find Canopus on February evenings. Look southward below brilliant Sirius. Canopus is our second-brightest star.
Feb 15, 2012
Astronomy Essentials
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The next Blue Moon, according to folklore, will be August 31, 2012.
