February looks to be another fantastic month for stargazing in Oregon, so grab your telescopes and hope for clear skies.
This month, stargazers of all skill levels will be treated to a spectacular display as Venus, Jupiter, and Mars shine in the night sky. Although people with telescopes or powerful binoculars will be able to see much more, the three brilliant planets may all be seen with the unaided eye.
According to NASA, Venus will be in the night sky through the middle of March and will be at its brightest point of the year this month. The space agency stated in a monthly skywatching report that Venus appears brightest when it is in our skies as a crescent rather than when it is full. When the planet gets closest to Earth, it transforms into a crescent, and the light from the closer approach compensates for the smaller phase.
This month, a couple other planets are also included: Mercury, another difficult planet to see, should enter the picture around the beginning of March. Uranus, which can only be seen with a strong telescope, will be visible throughout the month. Saturn, which is difficult to see low on the horizon, will be visible until the middle of February.
According to Jim Todd, director of space science education at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, a group of visible planets like this is frequently referred to as a “planet parade,” a nonscientific expression that might describe the simultaneous visibility of anywhere from two and eight planets. According to Todd, a procession of some magnitude takes place almost annually.
If you can, he continued, it’s worthwhile to have a close-up look at the planets right now. As we enter prime stargazing season, the red planet will be the only planet visible because all other planets, with the exception of Mars, will have sunk below the horizon by summer. Even Mars will disappear by the middle of August.
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–Jamie Hale co-hosts the Peak Northwest podcast and writes about travel and the outdoors. You may contact him at [email protected], 503-294-4077, or HaleJamesB.
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