What’s on your stargazing to-do list for this week? In today’s article, we’ll give you some ideas on what to observe in the sky this week, February 23 — 28, 2021.

The February Moon

For the second consecutive week, the Moon will be shining brightly in the evening sky for observers all around the world. Let’s run through some encounters the Moon will have this week!

On Tuesday night, the Moon will pass very close to the medium-bright star designated Kappa Geminorum, which marks the eastern hand of the twin Pollux. The event will make a pretty sight in binoculars and telescopes.

On Wednesday night, the almost full Moon will pass to the upper left of the Beehive, an even larger open star cluster in Cancer. The cluster sits close to the Ecliptic — so the Moon and planets frequently buzz the Beehive.

From Thursday to Saturday, the very bright Moon will cross the constellation of Leo and its brightest star Regulus. The Moon will officially become full at 3:17 a.m. EST (8:17 GMT) on Saturday morning. We’ll reveal more details about the February full Moon in our future article.

The Bright Planets

Mars and Uranus are the only observable planets during the evening nowadays. Faint Neptune is embedded within the western twilight after sunset — and Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn are all grouped just west of the Sun in the southeastern pre-dawn sky. Remember that no matter the celestial bodies’ visibility, you can always see them with the help of Star Walk 2. The augmented reality feature will immerse you in the starry night sky even if you stay home.

Mars was in the news this week with the successful touchdown of the Perseverance Rover and his little drone-copter Ingenuity. You can look for small, reddish Mars between dusk and almost midnight every night, but it has been getting fainter and smaller in telescopes with each passing week. Mars will set just before 1 a.m. local time, so be sure to take your look early while it’s higher in the sky.

Meanwhile, dim and distant Uranus will be located to Mars’ lower right. The two brightest stars of Aries, the magnitude 2.0 star Hamal and its slightly dimmer magnitude 2.6 neighbor star Sheratan are located to the upper right of Uranus.

View Uranus early in the evening, too, when it’s higher in the sky and shining through less of Earth’s distorting atmosphere.

Saturn and Mercury will rise together first — at about 6 a.m. in your local time zone. Saturn will be situated less than a palm’s width to the right of Mercury. The speedy planet will move lower and a bit farther from Saturn during this week. Try to spot Mercury first, as it will shine almost twice as brightly as Saturn. Much brighter Jupiter will rise 20 minutes later — but the sky will have brightened more during that interval.

So these are our stargazing suggestions for the week. Happy observations!

Star Walk 2

What does retrograde mean?

When a planet seems to reverse its direction in the sky, it’s called retrograde motion (from the Latin word retrogradus – "going backward").

Day to day and week to week, as the Earth revolves around the Sun, the planets in the sky typically move in the same direction as the Sun – from west to east. Astronomers call it direct or prograde motion. This motion shouldn’t be confused with the daily motion of the planets and the Sun in the sky which goes from east to west and is caused by the Earth’s rotation on its axis.

At specific periods of time, a planet can start moving “backward” – from east to west. This westward movement is called apparent retrograde motion.

What causes the apparent retrograde motion of the planets?

Retrograde motion is an optical illusion caused by differences in the planets’ orbital speed.

Let’s take Mars as an example. This superior planet moves slower in its orbit than the Earth. When we pass Mars, it seems to be moving “backward” because we're moving faster than it is. The same thing happens when you pass by a slower-moving car on the highway – for a moment, it appears to move in the opposite direction.

This mechanism works for all the superior planets. The inferior planets, Venus and Mercury, that orbit the Sun faster than the Earth, also periodically appear to move “backward”. However, their retrograde motion is hard to observe: when an inferior planet passes us by, it is positioned between the Earth and the Sun, so the Sun’s glare hides it from view.

Ancient astronomers were rather puzzled by the retrograde motion phenomenon – especially those who thought that the Earth was at the center of the Universe. Only in the 16th century, when Nicolaus Copernicus introduced his heliocentric model, scientists understood that retrograde motion was an illusion.

What planets are in retrograde right now?

On May 23, the superior planet Saturn will enter a retrograde loop. It will resume its direct motion only on October 11. During this period, it will be positioned in the constellation Capricornus.

If you’d like to follow Saturn’s path in the sky during this period of time, use the stargazing app Star Walk 2. Tap the magnifier icon in the lower-left corner of the screen, type “Saturn” in the search field, and tap the corresponding search result. You will see the current position of the ringed planet in the sky. You can also view Saturn’s location for any chosen date and time using the Time Machine feature.

In 2021, you’ll also have the chance to witness retrograde motion of other planets. Mercury will go retrograde from May 29 through June 22, and then one more time from September 27 to October 18. Also, Jupiter will be in retrograde from June 20 to October 18 and Venus – from December 19, 2021 to January 29, 2022.

How do planets in retrograde affect us?

Astrologers may warn you against signing contracts during Mercury retrograde or buying metal tools during Mars retrograde. It’s your choice to believe them or not.

However, you now know that retrograde motion is just an illusion that can’t possibly affect your everyday life – at least from the scientific point of view.

We hope that we’ve managed to explain the nature of the retrograde motion phenomenon to you. If you liked the article, please share it with your friends

Today, on February 15, astronomy lovers celebrate Galileo Day. In today’s article, we’ll talk about who Galileo was and give tips on how you can join the celebration.

Especially for Galileo Day, we’ve prepared a fun and educational quiz about great astronomers of the past – you should definitely check it out and test your knowledge about astronomy!

Who was Galileo, and what did he discover?

Galileo Galilei (February 15, 1564 – January 8, 1642) was an outstanding Italian scientist who made significant contributions to astronomy, physics, engineering, and mathematics. His astronomical achievements include the telescopic confirmation of the phases of Venus, the observation of the four largest moons of Jupiter, the observation of Saturn’s rings, and the analysis of sunspots. He’s often called the “father of observational astronomy”, because he was the first person to use a telescope to observe celestial bodies.

Galileo also supported Copernican heliocentrism, which was considered a heretical teaching by the Catholic Church. Because of his scientific views about the model of the Universe, he was condemned by the Inquisition and sentenced to imprisonment and then house arrest for the rest of his life. He was also forced to publicly recant the Copernican theory. There’s a legend that after recanting, Galileo said the phrase “And yet it moves!” meaning: “despite my recantation, the Earth does move around the Sun and not vice versa!”.

How to celebrate Galileo Day?

On February 15, on Galileo’s birthday, people around the world celebrate an unofficial holiday in honor of this great scientist. The best way to celebrate Galileo Day is to gather your friends for a dinner party and then take part in some activity connected with astronomy – like going stargazing together or taking a quiz.

If it’s too cold outdoors, you can watch the night sky from home with the Star Walk 2 app! No matter if you’re inside or outside, this app will help you see and identify the stars and constellations above your location – just launch the app and point your device at the sky.

Another app that will allow you to dive into the world of astronomy without leaving home is Solar Walk 2. It’s a beautiful 3D planetarium with realistic models of celestial objects and lots of scientific facts about them.

We wish you a happy Galileo day and successful observations

The Full Moon in May is traditionally known as the Full Flower Moon. But 2021 will be an exception; this year, a Super Blood Moon takes place — a culmination in a series of supermoons! Where does this name come from? When and where to observe the Blood Moon? Let’s get to the details of this spectacular event!

You can also watch our video about lunar eclipses.

What is a Blood Moon?

You may wonder: “Why is the Moon red tonight?” The Blood (Red) Moon is caused by a total lunar eclipse. During a total lunar eclipse, the Earth comes between the Moon and the Sun, covering our natural satellite with its shadow. Despite this, indirect sunlight still manages to reach the Moon and illuminate it through our planet’s atmosphere. The atmosphere blocks most of the blue color and lets through only the red or orange light. As a result, the Moon appears blood-red to observers from the Earth.

The exact color of the Moon depends on the amount of dust and clouds in the Earth’s atmosphere on the day of the total lunar eclipse. It can vary from dark brown or red to bright orange and yellow. Learn more about the Moon’s colors by taking our quiz.

The Blood Moon of 2021 gets the prefix “super” for being a Supermoon. Moreover, it will be the closest supermoon of the year, which technically means the biggest and brightest one!

Where will the Super Blood Moon be visible?

The Moon appears red only from the sites where the total lunar eclipse is visible. In 2021, these will be North America (including Alaska and Hawaii), some parts of Asia, New Zealand, and partially Australia. To check if the eclipse is visible from your exact location, use the Eclipse Guide app. The app will show you our natural satellite’s path during the eclipse, the precise time of each eclipse phase, and other handy information.

When is the Super Blood Moon 2021?

Get ready on May 26. The Moon will cycle through all phases of the eclipse from 5:45 a.m. EDT to 8:52 a.m. EDT (9:45 GMT to 12:52 GMT). The total lunar eclipse phase will be pretty short — it will begin at 7:11 a.m. EDT and end in 15 minutes, at 7:26 GMT (11:11 GMT to 11:26 GMT). Remember that all total eclipses follow “penumbral > partial > total > partial > penumbral phase” scheme. While penumbral phases are quite difficult to see, the partial and total eclipses are visible even with a naked eye. View the time-lapse of each phase using the Eclipse Guide app.

If you’re not located in places where the total eclipse is visible, most likely, you won’t notice the red color of our natural satellite. But don’t worry — you can still observe the biggest and brightest Full Moon of the year.

The Full Flower Moon

Usually, the May Full Moon is called the Full Flower Moon. As the Full Moon’s names come from Native American, Colonial American, and other North American traditions, the Flower Moon is no surprise — it occurs during flower blooming season in Northern America. In 2021, the Full Flower Moon will occur on May 26, at 7:14 a.m. EDT (11:14 GMT). Although we provide the exact time when the Moon reaches its full phase, our natural satellite will appear “full” several days in a row for observers from the Earth. Learn the exact rise and set times with Star Walk 2 to find the best day for observations.

F.A.Q.

This was all you need to know about the Super Blood Moon of 2021. Don’t forget to share this article with your friends and on social media.

Wishing you clear skies and happy stargazing