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Celestial Highlights of February

Explore the astronomical events of February, from Jupiter at opposition to Venus and Mars conjunction and deep-sky adventures. Stay updated with ISS sightings and NASA TV highlights.

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Celestial Highlights of February

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  1. Space News Update - February 6, 2015 - In the News Story 1: NOAA's DSCOVR: Offering A New View of the Solar Wind Story 2: Planck Mission Explores the History of Our Universe Story 3: NASA's Curiosity Analyzing Sample of Martian Mountain Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting OpportunitiesSpace Calendar NASA-TV Highlights Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

  2. NOAA's DSCOVR: Offering A New View of the Solar Wind

  3. Planck Mission Explores the History of Our Universe

  4. NASA's Curiosity Analyzing Sample of Martian Mountain

  5. The Night Sky Friday, February 6 Jupiter is at opposition tonight: opposite the Sun as seen from Earth. So it rises around sunset, shines highest in the south around midnight, and sets at sunrise. Jupiter now appears 45 arcseconds wide, its biggest for this year. It remains essentially this large in your telescope all February. See our article The King Holds Court — Jupiter at Opposition. Saturday, February 7 Have you been keeping an eye on bright Venus and faint little Mars at dusk? Watch as they move nearer each other every day. They'll reach conjunction, just 0.4° apart, on the 21st. Sunday, February 8 Orion stands high in the southeast after dusk, with his three-star belt pointing down toward brilliant Sirius, the Dog Star. The bright trio of Sirius, Betelgeuse (high above, in Orion's shoulder), and Procyon (to their left) form the big, equilateral Winter Triangle. Compared to the Summer Triangle, it's brighter, more nicely shaped, and more colorful. Monday, February 9 The Winter Triangle, or rather one side of it, is also part of a much bigger asterism: the Winter Hexagon. This fills the sky toward the east and south these evenings. Start with brilliant Sirius at its bottom. Going clockwise from there, march through Procyon, Pollux and Castor, Capella very high, Aldebaran over to Capella's right, down to Rigel in Orion's foot, and back to Sirius. Tuesday, February 10 On one of these dark, moonless evenings, take Steve Gottlieb's "Best in Show" tour of four fine planetary nebulae in the February sky — using the article, charts, and pictures in the February Sky & Telescope, page 59. Bundle up for a deep-sky adventure! Sky & Telescope

  6. ISS Sighting Opportunities ISS For Denver: Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

  7. NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Daylight Time) Saturday, February 7 1 p.m., Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) Prelaunch News Conference (all channels) Sunday, February 8 3:30 p.m., Live Coverage of the Launch of DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory) (Launch is scheduled at 6:10 p.m.) (all channels) Tuesday, February 10 1:45 p.m., Coverage of the Release of the SpaceX/Dragon Cargo Ship from the ISS (Release time is scheduled at 2:10 p.m. ET) (all channels) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

  8. Space Calendar Feb 06 - JupiterAt Opposition Feb 06 - Comet 107P/Wilson-HarringtonClosest Approach To Earth (2.409 AU) Feb 06 - Comet 291P/NEATClosest Approach To Earth (2.760 AU) Feb 06 - Comet P/2006 S1 (Christensen)At Opposition (3.936 AU) Feb 06 - Asteroid 367943 DuendeClosest Approach To Earth (1.413 AU) Feb 06 - Asteroid 19631 Greensleeves Closest Approach To Earth (1.798 AU) Feb 06 - Asteroid 6434 Jewitt Closest Approach To Earth (1.820 AU) Feb 06 - Asteroid 284996 Rosaparks Closest Approach To Earth (2.256 AU) Feb 06 - Andrew Claude de la Cherois Crommelin's 150th Birthday (1865) Feb 07 - Comet P/2013 YG46 (Spacewatch)At Opposition (3.405 AU) Feb 07 - Comet C/2013 U2 (Holvorcem)At Opposition (4.423 AU) Feb 07 - Asteroid 2015 BF92Near-Earth Flyby (0.022 AU) Feb 07 - Asteroid 2009 DT10Near-Earth Flyby (0.055 AU) Feb 07 - Asteroid 2864 Soderblom Closest Approach To Earth (1.352 AU) Feb 07 - Asteroid 10111 Frensel Closest Approach To Earth (1.548 AU) Feb 08 - [Feb 04] Deep Space Climate Observator (DSCOVR)/ Sunjammer/ SHERPAFalcon 9 Launch Feb 08 - Comet P/2010 N1 (WISE)Closest Approach To Earth (2.957 AU) Feb 08 - Comet C/2013 E1 (McNaught)Closest Approach To Earth (7.642 AU) Feb 08 - Asteroid 4769 CastaliaClosest Approach To Earth (0.358 AU) Feb 08 - Asteroid 727 Nipponia Closest Approach To Earth (1.572 AU) Feb 08 - Asteroid 2161 Grissom Closest Approach To Earth (1.974 AU) Feb 08 - Asteroid 11356 Chuckjones Closest Approach To Earth (2.095 AU) Feb 08 - Asteroid 1691 Oort Closest Approach To Earth (2.142 AU) Feb 08 - Asteroid 8564 Anomalocaris Closest Approach To Earth (2.626 AU) Feb 08 - 15th Anniversary (2000), STS-130 Launch (Space Shuttle Endeavour, ISS) Feb 08 - 15th Anniversary (2000), Discovery of GRV 99027 Meteorite (Mars Meteorite) Feb 08 - Emily Lakdawalla's 40th Birthday (1975) Feb 08 - Ralph Curtiss' 135th Birthday (1880) Feb 08 - Henri Giffard's 190th Birthday (1825) Feb 08 - Daniel Bernoulli's 315th Birthday (1700) Feb 09 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #403 (OTM-403) Feb 09 - Comet 7P/Pons-WinneckeClosest Approach To Earth (2.062 AU) Feb 09 - Comet P/2001 H5 (NEAT)Closest Approach To Earth (2.265 AU) Feb 09 - Comet 130P/McNaught-HughesAt Opposition (4.000 AU) Feb 09 - Comet C/2014 W10 (PANSTARRS) Perihelion (7.425 AU) Feb 09 - Asteroid 3036 Krat Occults HIP 60202 (4.9 Magnitude Star) Feb 09 - Asteroid 2013 BS45Near-Earth Flyby (0.089 AU) Feb 09 - Asteroid 1584 Fuji Closest Approach To Earth (0.956 AU) Feb 09 - Asteroid 7758 Poulanderson Closest Approach To Earth (1.711 AU) Feb 09 - Asteroid 2305 King Closest Approach To Earth (1.845 AU) Feb 09 - Asteroid 12382 Niagara Falls Closest Approach To Earth (1.904 AU) Feb 09 - 25th Anniversary (1990), Galileo, Venus Flyby JPL Space Calendar

  9. Food for Thought Camera to Record ATV's Disintegration From Inside

  10. Space Image of the Week Jupiter Triple-Moon Conjunction Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

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