From one event shrouded in mystery and symbolism to one that’s just a coincidence of sightlines, this week in What’s Up is a conjunction of the Moon and Uranus. This event is not particularly special; it’s a cosmic coincidence of two objects happening to appear near each other from the perspective of someone standing on Earth. In reality, the two objects are billions of kilometers away from each other.

Uranus will be within two degrees of the Moon, which is a bit less than the width of two fingers held out at arm’s length this coming Monday, February 7, in the early evening. You will be aided by the Moon’s relative dimness, being in its waxing crescent phase. 

Unless you have a really large telescope, you will only be able to see Uranus as a dot, not a fully resolved disk, but it’s still interesting as a bluish/green dot and bright enough, at between magnitude 5 and 6, for even small telescopes to see. In a telescope at moderate power, you should be able to fit part of the Moon and Uranus in the same field of view to see details on both simultaneously! While you’re in the region, you can explore the Moon’s craters and other features at high power.

Another close conjunction that recently happened was that of the Moon and Jupiter. Jupiter was within four degrees of the Moon, a bit less than three fingers at arm’s length, this past Wednesday, February 2, in the early evening. Jupiter is technically still up, but it’s very low in the sky and sets shortly after sunset. Jupiter will be better positioned later this summer, during its opposition.

More Information

Moon and Jupiter on February 2. Farewell, giant planet! (EarthSky)

Visible planets, stars, moon, more, in February (EarthSky)

A Handy Guide to Measuring the Sky (timeanddate)