Where is the closest Observatory from where you live?
...and from the good folks at the McDonald Observatory in West Texas...it's time to gaze upward again. Or....outward.
February, named for Februus, the Roman god of purification.
The cold February evenings offer some of the brightest stars in the entire night sky. Sirius, the brightest of all, climbs across the south, trailing below and behind beautiful Orion. Taurus, the bull, looks down on them. From the southern United States the second-brightest star, Canopus, huddles below Sirius. And brilliant Capella lords over them all from high overhead. Among the planets, only dazzling Jupiter puts in a good showing this month, although Mercury just peeks into view in the west for a few evenings around mid-month.More stargazing information »
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February 4-10 - Quasars: The most brilliant objects in the universe are quasars — beacons that are visible across billions of light-years. Yet they're powered by the darkest objects in the universe: black holes. Join us for quasars and more.
February 11-17 - On Guard: An asteroid as big as a building will buzz past Earth this week, and we'll have details. We'll also tell you about efforts to find more of these space rocks, and what we might do if one is on a collision course.
February 18-24 - The North Star: Despite Shakespeare's assertion to the contrary, the North Star, Polaris, is anything but steady. It pulses in and out like a beating heart, changing in brightness as it does so. Join us for the North Star and much more.
February 25-28 - Tiny Black Holes: The Big Bang may have created a profusion of tiny black holes. Unlike other black holes, some of these might be evaporating in bright explosions. Join us for tiny black holes — including some that might be made in the lab.
February program schedule »
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In our March/April issue, bone up on the different types of exploding stars called supernovae, and why they matter. Also, find out why binoculars are great for stargazing and learn how to view some of the best binocular sights in the sky.
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Exocomets May be as Common as ExoplanetsComets trailing wispy tails across the night sky are a beautiful byproduct of our solar system’s formation, icy leftovers from 4.6 billion years ago when the planets coalesced from rocky rubble. The discovery by astronomers at the University of California, Berkeley, and Clarion University in Pennsylvania of six likely comets around distant stars suggests that comets -- dubbed “exocomets” -- are just as common in other stellar systems with planets. The astronomers based their discovery on work with the Otto Struve Telescope at McDonald Observatory.
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Billowing clouds of warm interstellar dust glow bright orange in this combined visible and radio view of a part of the Orion Molecular Complex, a vast region that is giving birth to new stars.
SkyTips is a monthly email newsletter for visitors to McDonald Observatory and StarDate Online. Each issue features stargazing highlights, upcoming StarDate radio program descriptions, and other news. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends and family.
SkyTips is a publication of the University of Texas McDonald Observatory Education and Outreach Office, 2609 University Ave. A2100, Austin, TX 78712. Reproduction of SkyTips content is permitted with proper credit given to McDonald Observatory.
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