2/25 February Night Sky

February 2025 Night Sky Highlights for Novice Stargazers (U.S.)

🌕 Moon Phases

• First Quarter Moon – February 5, 2025, at 3:02 AM EST

• Full Snow Moon – February 12, 2025, at 8:53 AM EST (Named for the heavy snowfalls typical in February)

• Last Quarter Moon – February 20, 2025, at 12:32 PM EST

• New Moon – February 27, 2025, at 7:44 PM EST (Best time for stargazing with a dark sky!)

🌠 Planetary Sightings

• Jupiter – Bright and prominent in the evening sky.

• Saturn – Visible but setting earlier in the evening.

• Venus & Mars – Venus shines in the morning sky, while Mars is more difficult to spot.

• Mercury – Best seen in the early morning mid-month.

✨ Constellations & Deep Sky Objects

• Orion & the Orion Nebula (M42) – A must-see with binoculars!

• Pleiades (M45) – A beautiful open star cluster visible all month.

• Taurus & Aldebaran – The bright red giant star near the Pleiades.

• The Winter Hexagon – Formed by Sirius, Rigel, Aldebaran, Capella, Pollux, and Procyon.

🌠 Meteor Showers & Other Notable Events

• Alpha Centaurids (Feb 8-9, 2025) – A minor meteor shower visible mainly in the Southern Hemisphere.

• Sporadic Fireballs – February tends to produce more random bright meteors.

• Zodiacal Light – Visible after sunset in dark skies, caused by interplanetary dust reflecting sunlight.