Learn what is happening in February 2008 and what has happened in February in the past. Discover highlights of the night sky and learn what to look for in February 2008.
February Highlight - Saturn
NASANamed after the Roman god of agriculture, Saturn is the 6th planet from the sun, and the second largest in the solar system. It's most usually thought of for its ring system. The Italian scientist, Galileo was the first to spot Saturn's rings in 1610, using one of the first telescopes.
Learn more about the planet Saturn and take a solar system tour.
February Skymap
Nick Greene
Note: This map is for a median time and location and may have slight differences from your location and viewing time. Planets and moons shown on this map will have the highest probability of appearing in different locations.
Use this handy Sky Map Symbols Key to figure out what you should be looking for.
Events in February
NASA
- 1: Venus Passes Within 0.6 degrees of Jupiter
- 5: Mercury in Conjunction With the Sun
- 7: Annular Solar Eclipse, Visible in Antarctica
- 14: Moon at Perigee
- 20: Total Lunar Eclipse
- 24: Saturn at Opposition
- 28: Moon at apogee
Featured Constellation - Ursa Major
Nick Greene
- The Great Bear
- Genitive: Ursa Majoris
- Abbreviations: UMa, U Maj
- Right Ascension, (h): 11
- Declination, (deg): 50N
Featured Biography - Hans Lipperhey
Hans Lipperhey was born in Wesel (western Germany) around the year 1570. Little is known about his early life, but he eventually moved to Middelburg, the capital of Zeeland, the southwesternmost province of the Netherlands. Hans Lipperhey was probably not the first person to experiment with combining lenses to create crude telescopes and binoculars. While others later claimed to have invented the device, it was Lippershey who applied to the government of the Netherlands for a patent in 1608.This Month in History
NASA
- 1: 2003 - Shortly after 9:00AM EST, the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-107) disintegrated in the skies above Texas, killing all crew members aboard.
- 4: 1906 - Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto, born.
- 5: 1971 - Apollo 14 landed on the moon.
- 14: 1950 - Karl Guthe Jansky, inventor of radio astronomy, died.
- 19: 1473 - Nicolaus Copernicus born in Torun, Poland.
