What's Up? - February

Each month I highlight objects you can observe in the night sky with the naked eye. This month there are some treats in store with Mercury making an appearance.

PLANETS

Mercury

Mercury will briefly be visible this month giving you the best opportunity to spot it this year!

It is visible shortly after sunset starting from the second week of February.

If you have a flat horizon in the south west and it is not too murky low down - that helps.

From the 10th it becomes possible and on that day observe at around 17:40 GMT very low down west-southwest.

By the 19th it will have reached it's peak altitude. It can be observed until the end of the month but it fades so will become tougher to spot.

Mercury in the West around 18:05 on the 17th Feb - example- Note the crescent Moon

Venus

Visiblity of Venus improves throughout the month. It is very bright from the beginning but sets just 30 minutes after the Sun so is even more difficult than Mercury to spot! But by the end of the month this has improved to an hour and 20 minutes.

And don't forget Mercury sits between Venus and a crescent Moon on the 17th and 18th - worth a look!

Venus 18th Feb around 18:15

Mars - wait until the summer!

Jupiter

Very well placed all month- shining beautifully. It is high in the southern sky located in the constellation of Gemini.

Mid month it will be close to the red star of Orion - Betelgeuse and the bright star Procyon.

Jupiter

Jupiter in the east on the 10th Feb

Saturn

Difficult this month.

Constellation of the month: Leo the Lion

Leo mid evening in the east. Look for the backward question mark.

In February one of the sky’s most recognisable constellations climbs into view: Leo the Lion. Proud, bright, and easy to spot, Leo has been a symbol of strength and royalty for thousands of years — and once you know what to look for, you’ll never miss it again.

The backward question mark in the sky

The key to spotting Leo is an elegant curve of stars known as the Sickle. Astronomers love their formal names, but most stargazers remember this pattern simply as a backward question mark hanging in the sky.

This shape outlines the Lion’s head and mane, and it’s made up of several named stars:

• Regulus (α Leonis) – the bright dot at the bottom of the question mark. Regulus means “little king” in Latin and marks the Lion’s heart.

• Eta Leonis (η Leo) – the next star up the curve.

• Algieba (γ Leonis) – perched at the top of the arc; a beautiful double star when viewed through a telescope.

• Adhafera (ζ Leonis) – continuing the curve downward.

• Rasalas (μ Leonis) – forming the tip of the “hook” of the question mark.

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Once you’ve traced this arc, your eye naturally wants to finish the shape — but instead, look eastward to find Denebola (β Leonis). This bright star marks the Lion’s tail and completes Leo’s stretched-out body.

A constellation steeped in history

Leo is one of the oldest recognised constellations, catalogued by the ancient Greeks and likely known far earlier by Babylonian astronomers. To the Greeks, Leo was the Nemean Lion, slain by Hercules as the first of his legendary labours — a beast so fearsome its hide could not be pierced by weapons.

In astrology, Leo has long been associated with leadership, confidence, and the height of summer. In astronomy, it holds a quieter but profound significance.

Home to distant islands of light

Behind Leo’s stars lies one of the richest regions of deep space visible to amateur telescopes: the Leo Triplet — three interacting galaxies (M65, M66, and NGC 3628) locked in a slow gravitational dance around 35 million light-years away.

When you look at Leo from a dark site, you’re not just seeing a pattern of nearby stars, but gazing toward vast galactic structures far beyond our own Milky Way.

When and where to look

Leo is well placed in February, rising in the east after dusk and standing high in the eastern sky by mid-evening. From the UK, Regulus is bright enough to cut through light pollution, making Leo a rewarding constellation even from suburban gardens.