Hello ...
Here's your Cosmic Pursuits newsletter for February 2025!
1. The constellations Orion, Canis Major, Taurus, Perseus, and Auriga dominate the northern sky this month, while southern observers see these same groups as well as Puppis, Carina, and Vela, constellations which harbor some of the best sights the night sky has to offer. There are plenty of planets to see in the evening sky. Venus is especially impressive this month as it reaches an incredible
magnitude -4.9, as bright as it ever gets, with enough light to cast a shadow in dark locations. You also get a chance to glimpse the glow of the zodiacal light, the Sun’s light reflected off tiny grains of dust left over from the formation of the solar system. Here's what to see in the Night Sky This Month...
2. At the beginning of January, Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) held modest promise to grow bright enough to see with the unaided eye. Turns out it was bright, VERY bright, at least from the southern hemisphere, and some call it the Great Comet of 2025. Images abound online. But here's my personal favorite captured by Yuri Beletsky, from the ESO Paranal Observatory in northern Chile. I really wish I captured this image!
3. Let's bundle up, drag out our telescopes, and go see some reflection nebulae! In my latest article for Sky & Telescope I take you on a tour of these challenging but beautiful blisters of star formation where new stars emerge from their dusty cocoons...
4. And if it's too cold for hands-on observing, enjoy this artist's conception, based on data from the extremely productive Gaia space telescope, of the Milky Way that dazzles the eye and satisfies the mind.
5. Finally, here's a video (with audio) of a small meteorite smashing into the front walkway of a home as capture from a doorbell camera. It is the first-ever audio of a meteorite hitting the ground!
And the astronomy quote of the month:
“Every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. And, the atoms in your left hand probably came from a different star than your right hand. It really is the most poetic thing I know about physics: You are all stardust."
- Lawrence Krauss
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Wishing you clear skies!
Brian Ventrudo
Publisher
CosmicPursuits.com
