February provides spectacular astrophotography alternatives, from gorgeous planetary alignments to brilliant winter constellations. With Venus shining at its peak near the crescent moon, a dramatic full moon, iconic constellations, and star clusters, there’s no scarcity of celestial wonders to seize this month.
Right here’s every thing you should find out about astrophotography in February 2025:
Saturday, February 1: A crescent moon along side Venus
Should you’ve been outdoors simply after sundown within the final month, you may know Venus dominates the post-sunset night time sky. Tonight comes one of many astrophotography highlights of the month as a 14%-lit waxing crescent moon visits Earth’s sister planet.
Learn: When to {photograph} the moon
Sunday, February 2: A crescent moon and Venus
With a large lens, you may seize the scrumptious sight of a brilliant Venus and a crescent moon. The latter will tonight be 23%-lit and far greater above Venus, with notable “Earthshine” detectable on its darkish aspect. This daylight mirrored from Earth’s clouds and ice again onto the lunar floor is usually picked up by wide-angle lenses.
Learn: One of the best lenses for astrophotography.
Monday, February 3: The Orion constellation
Orion dominates the February night time sky, with the hunter’s iconic belt stars, Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka, an apparent spotlight of the southeastern night time sky after darkish. Seize some photographs of it — and the dazzling Orionlas Nebula (M42) under the belt — earlier than the night time sky turns into bleached by robust moonlight. Use a wide-angle lens to seize the whole lot of Orion in opposition to a transparent, darkish sky, and you might seize the colours reddish Betelgeuse and bluish Rigel on the corners of this dazzling winter constellation.
Learn: One of the best star tracker digital camera mounts
Wednesday, February 5: The moon within the Pleiades
There are few higher prospects for astrophotographers than the moon passing via essentially the most stunning open cluster of stars within the night time sky. Nevertheless, the 57%-illuminated waxing gibbous moon will look very brilliant because it seems in entrance of the Pleiades star cluster tonight, making single-shot photographs difficult. Think about using a telephoto lens to isolate the pair.
Learn: Astrophotography: How-to guides, suggestions and movies.
Wednesday, February 12: A full ‘Chilly Moon’ rising with Regulus
There are a couple of minutes each month if you’ll discover astrophotographers out in pressure at magnificence spots. Moonrise on the night time of the complete moon is a particular time largely as a result of it is attainable to picture our pure satellite tv for pc in its full glory in a dusk-lit panorama. Meaning being in place to seize the complete ‘Chilly Moon’ because it seems above the jap horizon throughout nightfall on the time of moonrise the place you’re. As a bonus, the intense star Regulus in Leo can be simply beside it.
Learn: Easy methods to {photograph} the complete moon.
Sunday, February 16: Venus at its brightest
Venus will attain the brightest it’s going to get tonight throughout its present apparition because the “Night Star” earlier than progressively dimming because it sinks into the horizon over the following few months. It will likely be seen within the west for a few hours after sundown, giving astrophotographers loads of time to seize a brilliant Venus in a panorama. It is so brilliant that capturing Venus’s shine mirrored within the water is not going to be tough.
Learn: Astrophotography instruments: the perfect digital camera, lenses and equipment.
Thursday, February 20 – Sunday, March 2: Darkish sky window
Astrophotography is all the time extra productive when the moon is out of the sky. A ten-night window of darkish night skies opens tonight because the Final Quarter Moon rises round midnight, then 50 minutes later every night time for the following week till the New Moon. That ensures pitch-black moonless night time skies, good for capturing deep-sky objects and winter constellations. Use this chance to {photograph} the Beehive Cluster, the Pleiades, or the faint glow of the winter Milky Method.
Learn: One of the best cameras for astrophotography
Astrophotography Shot of the Month: Zodiacal gentle
This is a delicate but gorgeous goal for astrophotographers. From February 18 via February 28, when the moon can be out of the early night sky, the elusive zodiacal gentle could turn out to be seen after sundown.
The zodiacal gentle seems as a faint triangular glow above the western horizon, brought on by daylight scattering off interplanetary mud particles within the photo voltaic system. Nevertheless, it is solely when the geometry has the zodiacal gentle positioned away from the horizon’s haze, from our standpoint, that it turns into seen.
To seize this phenomenon, get to a really darkish sky web site with darkish skies to the west. A west-facing coastal location is a good suggestion.
With a wide-angle lens and a tripod, set as much as orient west about an hour after sundown, when a fragile triangular-shaped gentle ought to turn out to be seen to the bare eye and your digital camera.
There is a steadiness to be made between the brightness of the zodiacal gentle with the deepening twilight. Experiment with publicity instances between 15-30 seconds and ISO settings between 1600-3200 to disclose the zodiacal glow in all its delicate magnificence. For added curiosity, embrace a foreground factor — reminiscent of a silhouetted tree or mountain, coastal cliffs or a desert panorama — so as to add depth to your composition.
You may additionally like…
Discover out when to {photograph} the moon and be taught learn how to make a time-lapse. And just be sure you’re utilizing the greatest digital camera for astrophotography paired with the greatest lenses for astrophotography.