Sky Watch, February - The Episcopal School of Dallas | Best Private Schools in Dallas

February 1, 2025
by Peter Lutken

January had snow and cold, but February is starting with a spring-like thaw! Winter may not be over yet, but February 2 is Groundhog Day. That's the halfway point from the Winter Solstice to the Spring Equinox, so the days quickly get longer! Here are some good things to look for this month:

Evening Skies: Great planets! Venus and Saturn are in the southwest after sunset; Jupiter is right overhead, followed by Mars. The Moon will join each of them as the days go by. Orion, the Pleiades, and the winter stars are up most of the night. When it's clear, the sky is bright and beautiful this time of year! 

Full Moon: February 12.

Morning Skies: Before sunrise, you can see the Big Dipper and Arcturus straight overhead. The Summer Triangle and the constellation Scorpio are rising in the east/southeast. Spring is coming!

Quarry/Outdoors: Great bird watching in the bare trees! Hundreds of Cedar Waxwings and Robins are all around town, and flocks of wild ducks are still here on area ponds and lakes! 

The photo is of a Ruby Crowned Kinglet, only a bit larger than a Hummingbird. It was a cold February day at the Quarry, and he was looking for some company. He had a short but memorable visit with some fifth graders that day! 

Get outside and take it all in whenever and wherever you can! 

PKL