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This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report for the period between February 1 and February 28, 2022. Here are the events happening in the sky of southern California.

Mercury is in the morning sky. Look for the planet low in the east just before sunrise. On the 1^st, Mercury rises at 5:38 a.m., PST, and the sun rises at 6:50 a.m., PST. On the 16^th, Mercury reaches greatest western elongation. On the 28^th, Mercury rises at 5:20 a.m., PST, and the sun rises at 6:23 a.m., PST. Do not observe any planet when it comes close to the sun, for the danger to the eyes is great.

Venus is in the morning sky, low in the southeast. On the 1^st, Venus rises at 4:34 a.m., PST. On the 28^th, Venus rises at 3:48 a.m., PST. On that date Venus is a crescent with a width of 32 arcseconds with 38-percent of the disk illuminated.

Mars is in Sagittarius the Archer.  On the 1^st, Mars rises at 4:37 a.m., PST, and on the 28^th the planet rises at 4:10 a.m., PST. The angular separation between Mars and Venus decreases, until Mars is five degrees south of Venus on the 28^th.  The disk of Mars is only five arcseconds wide and will not show any surface features through a telescope.

Jupiter is in the west-southwest as evening starts. On the 1^st, the sun sets at 5:24 p.m., PST, and Jupiter sets at 7:17 p.m., PST. By the 15^th, Jupiter is close to the sun and unobservable until April. A telescope capable of magnification 50x will show the Red Spot, and the four bright Galilean moons may be seen moving back and forth, roughly in a line centered on Jupiter.

Saturn is close to the sun as February begins and is unobservable. By the 28^th, Saturn rises in the morning sky at 5:26 a.m., PST. Saturn is then low in the east-southeast. The rings and Saturn’s largest moon Titan may be seen with a telescope capable of magnification 50x.

Uranus is in the constellation of Aries the Ram and is observable during the evening. On the 1^st, Uranus sets at 12:20 a.m., PST. On the 28^th, the planet sets at 10:37 p.m., PST. On the 15^th, Uranus is at Right Ascension 2^h 34^m 16^s with a declination of +14° 43ʹ 11ʺ. Uranus is only 3.5 arcseconds wide, and so a telescope with a magnification of 150x is needed to show its diminutive disk.

Neptune is in the constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer. On the 1^st, Neptune sets at 8:23 p.m., PST. On the 28^th, the planet sets at 6:42 p.m., PST, and is close to the sun and unobservable. On the 15^th, Neptune is at Right Ascension 23^h 31^m 01^s with a declination of -4° 20ʹ 51ʺ. Neptune is only 2.2 arcseconds wide, and so a telescope with a magnification of 150x is needed to show the disk.

First quarter occurs on the 8^th, full moon on the 16^th, and last quarter on the 23^rd. Because February is a short month, there is no new moon in February.

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