All About Space - UK (2020-02)

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORNUS

Cer s

Mars

Pluto

Saturn

Jupiter

Moon

Uranus

Eris

PISCES

CETUS

Ve nu s

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORNUS

Ceres

Moon

Jupiter

Pluto

Saturn Mars

Ve nu s

Uranus

M o

PISCES

EQUULEUS ANDROMEDA

A ILA

PEGASUS

CAPRICORNUS

Mercury

Constellation:Aquarius

Magnitude:3.0

AM/PM:AM

Technicallya ‘morningstar’visible

beforesunrise,shiningatonly

magnitude3.0ina brightpre-dawn

easternsky,itwillbetoofaintfor

mostpeopletoseewiththenaked

eye.Apairofbinocularsshould

pickitoutifyousweepthesky,but

you’llneeda low,f lathorizoninthat

directionifyou’regoingtoseeit.

Constellation: Pisces

Magnitude: -4.2

AM/PM: PM

This month the evening sky belongs

to Venus; there’s simply nothing as

bright, or as beautiful. It sets several

hours after the Sun, and you’ll spot

it high in the southwest as soon as

half an hour after sunset, looking

like a metallic silvery spark in the

dusk. As the dusk deepens Venus

will get brighter and more beautiful.

Constellation: Sagittarius
Magnitude: 0.7
AM/PM: AM
Saturn is another ‘morning star’ this
month, clearly visible to the naked
eye as a yellow-white ‘star’ low in the

southeast before sunrise. Although a

pair of binoculars is powerful enough

to show you Titan, Saturn’s largest

moon, as a ‘star’ close to the planet,

you will need a telescope to see

Saturn’s famous rings.

Constellation: Aries

Magnitude: 5.9

AM/PM: PM

The most exciting thing about Uranus

this month is that it will be found

very close to Venus in the sky. At

magnitude 5.9 Uranus is technically a

naked-eye object, but this month the

planet is already so low in the west

after sunset that it will be in a twilight

sky, so very hard to see without the

assistance of binoculars.

Constellation: Sagittarius

Magnitude: -2.0

AM/PM: AM

Jupiter is a bright naked-eye ‘morning

star’ this month, shining low in the

southeast before sunrise. It will appear

much brighter than its neighbours,

Saturn and Mars. At the start of March

Jupiter will be between the pair, and by

the end of March will be to the upper

right of them, still brighter than either.

On the morning of 18 March a lovely

waning crescent Moon will be shining

very close to Jupiter and Mars, which will

themselves be so close together they will

look like a double star to the naked eye

and through binoculars. Binoculars will

show you Jupiter’s four largest moons.

E ESE SE

Mercury07:00 GMT on 28 February

WSW W WNW

Venus 20:00 GMT on 27 February

ESE SE SSE

Saturn 06:15 GMT on 18 March

WSW W WNW

Uranus20:00 GMT on 8 March

SE SSE S

Jupiter06:00 GMT on 18 March

This month’s planets

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