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This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report through February 14th, 2019. Here’s what’s happening in the skies of southern California.
The waxing moon is visible in the early evening. Its phase changes from crescent to first quarter on the 12th. After that, it is gibbous before the next full moon, on the 19th. The time of moonset is about 30 minutes later from one night to the next, and it will change from 8:12 p.m. on the 7th to 2:01 a.m. on the 14th. The moon is to the upper left of the only bright evening planet, Mars, on the 10th.
The best sky show through the 14th is the spectacular grouping of bright objects at dawn. These eye catching objects, best seen between 5:45 and 6:15 a.m., form a line above the southeast horizon that is tilted up and to the right. From the lowest to highest, these objects are the planets, Saturn, Venus, and Jupiter, and the bright star Antares in Scorpius the Scorpion. Saturn has a golden hue, while Venus, the brightest planet, is white. Jupiter is pale yellow, and Antares is orange. Careful observation over several mornings will show that Venus appears to be moving away from Jupiter and toward Saturn. This change of position results from the rapid orbital motion of the relatively near-by Venus.
Comet Iwamoto (C/2018 Y1), discovered late last year, was closest to the sun on the 6th and it will be at its closest to Earth, at a distance of about 30 million miles, on the 12th. It is bright enough to see through binoculars and small telescopes from dark sky locations as it passes from southeast to northwest through the constellation Leo the Lion. It is highest in the sky at 2:00 a.m., but it can be observed any time after 10:00 p.m., or moonset, whichever comes first. Observing information and a finder chart for comet Iwamoto can be found on the Sky and Telescope website.
The International Space Station will make an appearance high above Los Angeles on the evening of the 9th. The ISS will move across the sky from the west-northwest to the south-southeast between 6:53 and 6:58 p.m., and it is highest in the sky, 51 degrees above the southwest horizon, at 6:56 p.m.
Free views of the Sun during the day and of the moon, planets, and other celestial objects at night are available to the public in clear weather through Griffith Observatory’s telescopes from Tuesday through Sunday, before 9:30 p.m. Check our website for the schedule. The next free public star party on the grounds of Griffith Observatory, hosted by the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, the Sidewalk Astronomers, and the Planetary Society, will take place on Saturday, February 9th.
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From Griffith Observatory, I’m Anthony Cook, and I can be reached at griffithobserver@gmail.com.