Sky Report
The Griffith Observatory Sky Report
Anthony Cook
Astronomical Observer
This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report for the week ending Wednesday, February 10. Here is what’s happening in the skies of Southern California:
Mars, in Cancer the Crab, remains the planet placed best for viewing from the early evening until just before dawn. Appearing as a bright orange star, the planet moves from low in the east to nearly overhead in the south between nightfall and 11:35 p.m., then sets in the west-northwest minutes before sunrise. The planet remains at close to the maximum apparent size of 14 arcseconds this week, and in fact, changes little all month. This is a small telescopic target, but the planet is well placed for telescopic observation late in the evening. If you look with a telescope, don’t give up observing if you don’t see detail right away–your eye may need several attempts to adjust to seeing subtle details.
The bright yellow Jupiter makes a brief showing after sunset, and is low in the west southwest during evening twilight.
Golden Saturn, now in Virgo the Maiden, rises above the eastern horizon shortly after 9 p.m. It is best placed for telescopic viewing when it transits 57 degrees above the southern horizon at 3:00 a.m.
The innermost planet, Mercury, appears as a bright star located about 5 degrees above the southeast horizon at 6:05 a.m. Binoculars will help pick out the planet from the bright light of dawn.
The moon shows its waning phases, changing from gibbous to last quarter on Friday the 5th. It then appears crescent as it approaches new on the 13th.
The International Space Station makes two impressive morning passes over Los Angeles this week. The first is between 5:34 and 5:39 a.m. on Thursday, February 4. The bright satellite moves from the south southwest to the northeast and is 57 degrees high in the southeast a few seconds before 5:37 a.m. On the next morning, Friday, February 5, the ISS appears between 5:58 and 6:02 a.m., traveling from west to the north northeast. It attains a height of 32 degrees in the northwest at 6:00 a.m.
NASA has two important launches scheduled this week. The first is of the Space Shuttle Endeavor on a construction mission to the International Space Station. This is set for 1:39 a.m., PST from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. This is one of the last five remaining space shuttle missions. The next is of NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, a multi-wavelength–high-definition solar telescope array. The Florida launch is scheduled for 7:30 a.m., P.S.T. on Tuesday, February 9. Both launches can be watched live on NASA television, available as streaming television on NASA’s website.
Free public viewing of the sun during the day and of the moon, planets, and other celestial objects at night, is available through Griffith Observatory’s telescopes until 9:45 p.m., every night–weather permitting–except Mondays, when the Observatory is closed. The next public star party, held by members of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society and the Los Angeles Sidewalk Astronomers, will be held on the Observatory’s front lawn on Saturday, February 20. Please visit our website for Observatory information, or call (213) 473-0800.
The Sky Report is updated every Wednesday. It can be heard as a recorded phone message by calling (213) 473-0880. From Griffith Observatory, I’m Tony Cook, and I can be reached at griffithobserver@gmail.com.
