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January is over, and we are now in the shortest month of the year — February. From the “snow moon” to Jupiter and the Moon “kissing” the day after Valentine’s Day, here are some of the celestial events to look forward to during the month.
The Moon goes around the Earth once every four weeks. This causes its four phases — the new moon, the first quarter, the full moon and the last quarter. And this repeated once every 29.5 days on average. This motion also makes the moon travel about 12-degrees in the sky from one night to another, making it rise and set almost an hour later each day.
The new moon phase is the best time to look for other celestial objects in the night sky like the Milky Way and constellations. This is because the light from those distant objects can reach us and be identified much easier without the immensely bright moon in the foreground. If you can find a secluded place without much light pollution, the night of February 9 is one of the best to go stargazing.
Valentine’s day will be steamy not just for us humans on Earth but the planets Jupiter and Mars will appear to “kiss” in the night sky on the night after. At around 11.35 PM IST on February 25, Jupiter and Moon will make a close approach, passing within 3 degrees of each other from our perspective. Watching from New Delhi, the two celestial bodies will be in the Eastern part of the sky, according to In the Sky.
If Jupiter and the Moon can kiss, why can’t Venus and Mars? The two planets, named after the Roman goddess of love and the god of war respectively, will make an extremely close approach at 3.16 PM IST on February 22, according to In the Sky. Unfortunately, the pair will not be visible to views in India since they reach their highest point in the sky during daytime and will be just slightly above the horizon when dawn breaks.
The full moon in February is called the Snow Moon since there will be snow on the ground, according to Time and Date. Some Native American tribes also call it the Hunger Moon while others call it the Storm Moon. This month’s full moon will be at its full splendour at 4.30 AM IST on February 24.
