Scruton Sky at Night – February 2022

There are planets-a-plenty throughout 2022 and in February, Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun, will be visible in the night sky above the first-quarter Moon on the 7th of the month. Shining at mag. +5.7, and with the bright waxing Moon in view, you will have to reach for your binoculars to see this icy planet. 10×50 binoculars will do, or a small telescope with a 3 inch aperture and magnification of x100.

Venus is a morning ‘star’ throughout most of the year. Easy to identify because of its exceptionally bright appearance, the planet closest to us forms a dazzling conjunction with Mars on the morning of 27 February. If you can locate the waning crescent Moon, hanging low in the southeast, then look to its left and you will easily see Venus shining brightly above Mars.