February 1
The River's First Step
Sun Position
The Sun sits in Aquarius, at roughly +17° declination. Northern hemisphere days run about 10 hours in mid-latitudes; southern hemisphere days run about 14.
Sky Highlight
The Omicron Velorum (Theta Car / IC 2391) open cluster transits high in southern skies this evening for southern observers, a naked-eye jewel around the ship's keel. Northern observers miss it entirely.
Deep Sky Object
NGC 1851, a globular cluster about 39,500 light-years away. A compact, bright globular in Columba whose tight core hints at an ancient merger. It carries two distinct stellar populations that most globulars do not. Best from the southern hemisphere; just reaches the horizon from southern mid-latitudes north.
Featured Star
Cursa (β Eri) is a white giant 89 light-years away with a spectral class of A3IIIvar, varying slightly in brightness over its lifetime. It marks the footstool of Orion, the exact point where the river Eridanus spills southward into the sky.
Around This Date
- February 1, 2003Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry, killing all seven crew members; the accident was later traced to foam damage sustained during launch.
- January 31, 1958Explorer 1, the first successful American satellite, reached orbit and soon detected the Van Allen radiation belts using a Geiger counter designed by James Van Allen.
Even the longest rivers begin at a single, modest foot.