What’s Up in Denver? February 3rd through 9th, 2025

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Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.

February 3:

The Winter Hexagon - created with Stellarium
The Winter Hexagon – created with Stellarium
  • Look for the Winter Hexagon high in the southern skies throughout February. This asterism is formed by connecting six bright stars: Sirius in Canis Major (the brightest star in the sky), Rigel in Orion, Aldebaran in Taurus, Capella in Auriga, Pollux in Gemini, and Procyon in Canis Minor. This dazzling pattern is a gateway to exploring fascinating celestial objects, like the Orion Nebula near Rigel and the star clusters surrounding Aldebaran.
  • The Moon is at perigee (it’s closest distance to Earth at 367,457km) at 2:40 UTC.

February 4:

Cosmic Conversation with NSN and MIE Alliance
Cosmic Conversation with NSN and MIE Alliance
  • Cosmic Conversation with NSN and MIE Alliance: Euclid: Mapping the Geometry of the Dark Universe: 6:00 PM (registration required)
  • Astrophotography Special Interest Group (ASIG) – General Meeting: 7:00 PM (more info)
  • Jupiter reaches the end of its retrograde loop and resumes its eastward prograde path across the night sky.

February 5:

Photo by DAS Member Jim Fouch
Photo by DAS Member Jim Fouch
  • First Quarter Snow Moon at 1:02 AM

February 6:

The Moon's occults the Pleiades
The Moon’s occults the Pleiades – created with Stellarium
  • Look for the Moon’s occultation of the Pleiades (M45) starting around midnight with Jupiter and Aldebaran nearby in Taurus in the western skies. 
  • Standley Lake Virtual Astronomy Program: Common Cosmic Misconceptions: 6:00 PM (more info)

February 7:

Standley Like Stargazing
Standley Like Stargazing
  • Standley Lake Stargazing – Community Star Party: 6:00 PM at Lac Amora Park (more info)

February 8:

  • Open House: Saturn, Venus, Uranus, Jupiter, Mars!: 5:30 PM at the Chamberlain Observatory (more info)

February 9:

Castor, Pollux, Mars and the Moon - created with Stellarium
Castor, Pollux, Mars and the Moon – created with Stellarium
  • Look for Castor, Pollux, Mars and the Moon in close proximity to each other in Gemini in the western skies around 7:00 PM MST.
  • Mercury reaches superior conjunction (the point where it’s on the opposite side of the sun from Earth 5:19 MST.

This Week’s Meteoric Activity:

  • Anthelion (ANT): 1:00 AM local time in central Cancer: 3 per hour
  • Alpha Antliids (AAN): 2:00 AM local time in western Sextans: 1 per hour
  • Comae Berenicids (COM): 5:00 AM local time in northern Virgo: 1 per hour
  • Alpha Centaurids (ACE):5:00 AM local time in southeastern Centaurus: less than 1 per hour
  • Alpha Coronae Borealids (ACB): last dark hour prior to dawn on the border of Corona Borealis and Serpens Caput: 1 per hour

Clear skies and happy stargazing!