Author Archives
Jeffrey L. Hunt is an educational technologist living in suburban Chicago. When he's not learning about and implementing technology in classes, he's running or looking at the stars.
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2021, March: Mars Marches Through Taurus
March 2021: While not as bright as a few months ago, Mars marches eastward through the starfields of Taurus during the month. Use a binocular to watch it skip past the Pleiades star cluster and near the Hyades. Later in the month, it passes Aldebaran, the constellation’s brightest star, and moves toward the Bull’s horns as the month ends.
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2021, February 26-28: Bright Moon, Leo
February 26-28, 2021: The bright moon appears with the stars of Leo at month’s end.
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2021, February 23: Mercury-Saturn Conjunction, Almost!
February 23, 2021: Jupiter and Saturn are returning to the morning sky. Before sunrise, Mercury is near Saturn in a quasi-conjunction, a near conjunction. Mercury does not pass Saturn. During the evening, Mars is closing in on the Pleiades star cluster while the bright moon is near Pollux.
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2021, February: Betelgeuse
Look for the bright rosy star Betelgeuse during February evenings. It makes up the shoulder of Orion the Hunter.
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2021, February 19-21: Moon in Taurus
February 19-21: The bright moon moves through the constellation Taurus. Use a binocular to see the starry background with the moon.
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2021, February 18: Evening Moon, Mars, Pleiades
February 18, 2021: The moon, waxing toward its First Quarter moon phase, is high in the southwest after sunset. Planet Mars is 3.8° to the upper right of the moon. Mars is parading eastward compared to the starry background in eastern Aries as it heads toward the Taurus border.
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2021, February 6: Morning Moon, Antares
February 6, 2021: Before sunrise, look east-southeast for the waning crescent moon. It is 4.5° to the upper left of Antares – the rival of Mars.
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2021: Mars During February
During February 2021, Mars parades eastward in the dim starfield of Aries and moves into Taurus, nearing a March conjunction with the Pleiades star cluster.
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2021, February 11: Daytime Proximate Venus-Jupiter Conjunction
On February 11, 2021: Venus passes Jupiter during the daytime in a spectacular proximate conjunction.
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2021, January 29: Moon Blocks Star
January 29, 2021: The moon blocks the star Eta Leonis from parts of the Western Hemisphere during the early evening.
