Under Swansea

By Bob Ede

Tough February for finding stars. Skiffs of snow on many mornings and low clouds pushing down on the valley bottom. Not ideal conditions for viewing the planets and constellations.

Luckily weather changes. The last week of February the skies cleared, the sun was brilliant and the night skies were luminous with stars.

Clear skies in February are often accompanied by cold. Certainly, this was the case as the temperature dipped below -30° Celsius. Seemed coldest just before dawn when the Milky Way was low against the mountains in the southeast.

Orion was down in the early morning. The bright Sagittarius arm of the Milky Way is making a comeback. Spring is around the corner. I welcome the warmth and accompanying birdcalls, but will miss the long, quiet nights with Orion watching over.

Just before dawn on February 26, Venus appeared above the mountains followed by a waning Crescent moon, adorned and appearing full in earthshine. A spectacular sight, and one photo can never do justice. Still, I pointed and shot.

Nights like these don’t come along very often.

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Lead image: A Crescent Moon following the Morning Star.

– Bob Ede finds he enjoys the winter night skies more if he wears two pairs of long underwear. He can be reached at [email protected].

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