By Melanie McQuigg (Y12)
Amazing photo taken by Mr Brittain.
Grab your skis and snowboards, because it’s almost time for the February half-term. Between the biting frost and the sun setting at what feels like lunchtime, just making it through these last few weeks awake feels like an Olympic sport. But before you succumb to total hibernation, there is a silver lining to these long frigid nights. The freezing air actually acts as a high-definition lens, stripping away the summer haze to reveal the universe in its sharpest form. If we have to endure the darkness, we should enjoy the great view.s From a celestial matchup to harvest stars and lunar mountains, here are a few nighttime phenomena to bring some light to your February days.
Winter Football – 8th of February
While constellations are the “neighborhoods” of the sky, asterisms are the famous landmarks. The Winter “Football” is the massive, six sided shape that will dominate our southern sky throughout February. This hexagon, also known as the Winter Hexagon is formed by six of the brightest stars in the sky: Rigel from Orion, Aldebaran from Taurus, Capella from Auriga, Pollux from Gemini, Procyon from Canis Minor, and Sirius from Canis Major which is the brightest star in the entire night sky. This time will be the best viewing window, as these stars will reach their culmination, which means they will be at their highest point in the sky, during February evenings. Looking up, you will see this ring surrounding the famous Orion constellation. These will be visible to the naked eye, even if the sky isn’t perfectly dark but will be most visible after sunset.
Spica and Moon – 7th of February
Late in the night, look toward the Southeast to see the waning gibbous Moon near Spica. Known as the “Ear of Grain”, Spica is the “crown jewel” of the Virgo constellation and has guided the harvest cycles for a millenia. Spica is a spectroscopic binary system, meaning that the two stars that make it up are so close together that their immense gravity distorts them into egg shapes. Their orbit lasts four days and is staggeringly fast. These two will rise at about 11pm on the 6th but you will be able to see them early on the 7th. These stars will be high enough to provide a beautiful color contrast between the silver moon and the blue-white glow of Spica. You will of course be able to see this with the naked eye.
Last Quarter “Shadow Peak” – 9th of February
The moon will reach its Last Quarter phase on this night, marking the moment it is exactly half-illuminated. While many wait for the Full Moon, the Last Quarter is the “Shadow Peak” and is the best time for intellectual observation. The famous terminator line on the Moon will once again be visible and is the line where day turns to night on the lunar surface. Because the sun hits the Moon at a low angle during this phase, it will have large shadows that make the lunar craters look like massive sculptures. The best viewing window for this is the early morning of the 9th. If you have binoculars, look for the Lunar Alps (Montes Alpes). This lunar mountain range, named after our own, features a massive valley that is only visible under these specific lighting conditions.