The night sky in February offers many attractions for those who like stargazing. From moon phases to conjunctions and even planetary lineups, there’s so much to find if you know when and where to look. We’ve created a simple calendar of this month’s highlights so you can plan your stargazing sessions without missing out.
We also provide product recommendations for each event, including binoculars, telescopes, and cameras. The right gear for each event can make an incredible difference and help you see details you might otherwise miss. Exploring the night sky is much easier with a little planning.
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February 1st: Full Snow Moon
February begins with a bright full snow moon. It’s impressive even with the naked eye, but if you use binoculars or a telescope you can see it even closer, making it a perfect photographic subject.
Commonly seen in the following cases:
Binoculars: A 10×42 or 10×50 on hand will give you great views, but if you want a more impressive view with the best stargazing binoculars, try a 15×70 on a tripod.
Our pick: Celestron SkyMaster 15×70
Telescope: You don’t need any fancy equipment to see the full moon. A small telescope is sufficient. A 3- to 5-inch telescope is sufficient, but a 6-inch or larger instrument will give you a more detailed view.
Our Pick: Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 114AZ
Camera: The most important thing here is the lens. You’ll need a long telephoto lens that can zoom in on the moon. Taking the scale into consideration, it’s even more effective if you take the photo along with some kind of landmark, mountain, building, etc.
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Our pick: Canon RF 200-800mm f/6.3-9 IS USM
February 15th: Saturn and Neptune conjunction
Neptune is one of the more difficult planets to see and cannot be seen with the naked eye, so a telescope is the best tool here.
If you want to see clear blue hues, you need an aperture of at least 6 to 8 inches. It can be seen in smaller scopes, but it will probably appear as a gray dot like all other stars. Luckily, it’s almost a new moon, so the sky will be nice and dark, giving you the best chance to see it.
February 17th: New Moon
The new moon is the darkest time of the month, making it the perfect time for deep-sky stargazing without the moon lighting up the sky.
You can see the Milky Way with the naked eye if you live near dark skies, but a telescope or binoculars can help you see the best the night sky has to offer. Andromeda, the Orion Nebula, and darker galaxies look stunning. It’s also the perfect time to take your astrophotography camera out and take landscape astrophotography, or attach it to a telescope to take deep sky astrophotography.
Commonly seen in the following cases:
Binoculars: Binoculars with an objective lens diameter of 42mm or larger will give you a great view of the night sky. The magnification should be at least 10x, but if you want to see Jupiter’s moons, choose a more powerful pair.
Our pick: Celestron Regal ED 10×42
Telescope: Clear, dark skies are the perfect time to get your smart telescope up and running. If you are an observational astronomer, it is better to use a conventional telescope with an eyepiece. But with smart telescopes, you can capture images of galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters without the hassle or hassle of attaching a camera to your telescope.
Our pick: Vaonis Vespera II
Camera: If you want to take long exposure astrophotography, especially pictures of the Milky Way, the week of the new moon is an ideal time. As long as your camera works well at high ISO levels and you use a wide lens with a large aperture, you’ll get beautiful shots.
We chose the Nikon Z8
February 19th: Moon/Neptune/Saturn conjunction
The slender crescent moon will conjunct Neptune and Saturn on the evening of February 19th (approximately 6-7pm ET, so check your local time).
You’ll need a telescope to see meaningful details of the rings and to actually observe Neptune. As mentioned above, a large telescope is best for this.
February 19th: Moon-Mercury conjunction (and occultation)
After sunset, the crescent moon will join Mercury low in the western sky. Mercury is currently at maximum elongation in the east, so this is the best time to see it. As the month passes, Mercury briefly hides behind the moon.
You will need binoculars to see the narrow 7% crescent moon. A pair of 10×42 binoculars will do the trick.
February 23: Moon/Pleiades eclipse
On the evening of February 23rd, the moon will skim the top of the Pleiades star cluster, a popular star cluster among stargazers. It takes place from around 22:00 to 00:15 ET, depending on where you live.
Whether you just want to observe it or take photos or time-lapses, there are many ways to see it.
Commonly seen in the following cases:
Binoculars: For the best views, mount astronomical binoculars on a tripod and watch the moon move over the Pleiades star cluster. You will need a pair with at least 15x magnification and an appropriately sized exit pupil (4mm+).
Our pick: Celestron SkyMaster Pro 20×80
Telescope: Luckily, you don’t need a huge scope to see the Pleiades in all its glory. A small to medium-sized telescope with an aperture of 80 to 130 mm and a good eyepiece can often provide a satisfactory view without spending a fortune. If you want to go a step further and photograph occultations, you can take time-lapses of images and videos with smart telescopes.
Our pick: Celestron Inspire 100AZ (for observation)
DWARF 3 (smart telescope)
Camera: Realistically, any of the best astrophotography cameras or the best astrophotography cameras for beginners will do, but the trick is to use a star tracker for your photography. You’ll need to use a long lens with a tripod and star tracker, or mount your camera on a telescope (if it has a motorized mount).
Our Pick: Sky Watcher Star Adventurer Mini (Star Tracker)
February 27th: Moon and Jupiter conjunction
If you’re a night owl, 79.5% of the time the Moon will be in conjunction with Jupiter in the early morning hours of February 27th (around 1:30 a.m. ET). Although visible to the naked eye, you will need powerful binoculars or a telescope to see Jupiter and its moons disappear and reappear.
The moon is so bright on this night that you’ll need a lunar filter or change your perspective so the entire moon isn’t in your field of view.
Commonly seen in the following cases:
Binoculars: To see Jupiter’s moons, you need at least 15x magnification and must be mounted on a tripod.
Our pick: Celestron Skymaster 25×100
Telescope: To see Jupiter and its moons in more detail, you will need a scope with an aperture of at least 60-90 mm. If you want a closer look, you’ll need a scope with an aperture of up to 8 inches. Equally important here is that if you want to see the bands and the Great Red Spot, use appropriate magnification with a high-quality eyepiece.
Our pick: Celestron NexStar 6SE
February 28th: Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune line up
At the end of February, a planetary lineup consisting of Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune will appear. The equipment you should use depends on what you want to see and how much detail you want to see. Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn can be seen with the naked eye, but binoculars or a telescope will give you a better view.
Commonly seen in the following cases:
Binoculars: If you also want to see Jupiter’s moons, use astronomical binoculars with 15x (or higher) magnification. You might be able to find Uranus and Neptune using a star map, but they look like any other star.
Our pick: Celestron SkyMaster Pro ED 15×70
Telescope: If you want to spot Saturn’s rings, you’ll need a 3- to 6-inch telescope. Also, if you want to see meaningful details on Uranus or Neptune, you’ll need a larger telescope (8 inches or larger).
Our Pick: Celestron Advanced VX 8 EdgeHD
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