Limerick Astronomy Club: February is looking up with celestial highlights

FEBRUARY brings a mix of celestial treats for astronomy enthusiasts in Limerick. Venus will steal the show this month, reaching its peak brightness on February 16 with a dazzling magnitude of -4.6. Look for it in the evening sky, where it will set several hours after sunset. Jupiter will also command attention as it concludes its retrograde motion in Taurus on February 4, gradually returning to its regular eastward journey through the constellations.
The Moon will provide several fascinating conjunctions throughout the month. On February 1, observers can catch the thin crescent Moon alongside Saturn and Venus in the evening sky. A week later, on February 9, the Moon will occult Mars, though this spectacular event will unfortunately not be visible from our Irish vantage point.
While February's meteor showers – the α- Centaurids and γ- Normids – will remain hidden from our northern location, the month offers excellent opportunities for stargazing. The constellation Orion continues to dominate our evening sky, serving as an excellent reference point for identifying other constellations. The Milky Way presents a particularly stunning view during February, stretching from Orion through Gemini, Auriga, Perseus, and Cassiopeia.

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This month also marks a significant anniversary in space exploration. On February 15, 2013, the Chelyabinsk meteorite entered Earth's atmosphere over Russia, creating a spectacular but dangerous show that served as a stark reminder of the importance of monitoring near-Earth objects.
As we observe these celestial events, we follow in the footsteps of pioneering astronomers like Vera Rubin, whose groundbreaking work on galactic rotation provided compelling evidence for the existence of dark matter, fundamentally changing our understanding of the universe.
The Limerick Astronomy Club meets monthly on the first Thursday of every month, in Mary Immaculate College, Room 202 at 8pm. We'd love to welcome you and embark on this cosmic journey together. Reach out to us at limerickastronomyclub @gmail.com for more info.