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February 2: The Moon occults Regulus
Uranus stands stationary at midnight EST. Located in the constellation Taurus, the ice giant is visible after sunset and sets around 2 A.M. local time.
Shining at magnitude 5.7, Uranus generally requires binoculars or a telescope to spot. Around 9 P.M. local time, Uranus is still 50° high, located in the west and hanging below the readily visible Pleiades open cluster (M45). From this cluster, drop your optics about 5° south-southwest and look for a line of two stars: 13 and 14 Tauri, shining at magnitudes 5.7 and 6.1, respectively. The two stars sit in an east-west line, with 13 Tau on the western end. Uranus is located just 0.8° southwest of 13 Tau. Its disk is slightly larger than Neptune’s, appearing 4” across, which may be apparent in your eyepiece. Uranus typically shows off a grayish color and won’t look quite the same as any nearby background, pinpoint stars.
Uranus has been moving retrograde, or westward, against the background sky. After today’s standstill, it will begin tracking eastward, or prograde.
Sunrise: 7:06 A.M.
Sunset: 5:22 P.M.
Moonrise: 7:37 P.M.
Moonset: 8:08 A.M.
Moon Phase: Waning gibbous (94%)
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 10 P.M. local time from the same location.
