FEBRUARY 2023 OBSERVING Lunar Almanac Northern Hemisphere Sky Chart 16 February 24 Yellow dots indicate which part of the Moon's limb is tipped the most toward Earth by libration. 1 5 MOON PHASES MON SUN TUE 1 5 12 19 26 6 13 20 27 7 14 21 28 8 15 22 WED 2 9 16 23 THU 3 10 17 24 FRI 4 11 18 25 SAT NASA / LRO ζ FULL MOON February 5 18:29 UT NEW MOON February 20 07:06 UT DISTANCES Apogee LAST QUARTER February 13 16:01 UT 0° FIRST QUARTER February 27 08:06 UT February 04, 9h UT 406,476 km Diameter 29′ 24″ Perigee 358,267 km Diameter 33′ 21″ FAVORABLE LIBRATIONS * Mare Australe * Malapert Crater * Von Braun Crater * Neper Crater February 19, 9h UT α -1 1 2 3 4 Planet location shown for mid-month February 1 February 5 February 16 February 24 42 FEBRUARY 2023 * SKY & TELESCOPE Galaxy Double star USING THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE MAP Go out within an hour of a time listed to the right. Turn the map around so the yellow label for the direction you're facing is at the bottom. That's the horizon. The center of the map is overhead. Ignore the parts of the map above horizons you're not facing. Exact for latitude 40°N. -40° c i n g 5 γ +20° β 8h β M44 CANCER M67 α α Regulus E g -1 0 1 2 3 4 a Galaxy Double star Variable star Open cluster Diffuse nebula Globular cluster Planetary nebula M48 S E OPARDAL I S γ β r o N 7h β 14h 11h F a C L I P T I C CANI S MAJOR β Moon Feb 1 Betelgeuse ORION Saiph M42 Rig COLUMBA Alde LEPUS F a GEMINI Castor α Pollux M35 MONOCEROS γ CANI S MINOR α Procyon α γ δ γ HYDRA Alphard LEO α Capella AURIGA LYNX LEO MINOR M82 M81 B i g D i p p e r δ Mizar & Alcor URSA MAJOR M51 Thuban DRACO Polaris URSA MINOR CANES VENAT ICI g n c i ε PUPP I S SEXTANS S i c k l e Li t t le Dipper α η h t χ1 χ2 α Bellatrix β α E Sirius M47 M46 M41 β ζ ε δ α M93 M38 M36 M37 M50 γ β c i n g β F c i n a s t α a F ο ι β γ ε ζ η E N β θ ε ζ α η ε µ β α Moon Feb 5 λ γ δ η