February 13
The Braided Mane
Sun Position
The Sun is in Aquarius near +9° declination. Northern mid-latitude days near 11 hours; southern hemisphere afternoon light softens as autumn approaches.
Sky Highlight
No annual shower today. The Leo triplet of galaxies (M65, M66, and NGC 3628) is beginning to clear the morning-sky horizon into evening viewing range this month for mid-latitude observers.
Deep Sky Object
M65, a spiral galaxy about 35 million light-years away. One of the Leo Triplet, M65 is a tightly wound spiral with relatively little dust and gas compared to its neighbor M66, suggesting it has been less disturbed by their gravitational interaction. Visible from both hemispheres; best in late winter and spring.
Featured Star
Adhafera (ζ Leo) is a yellow-white giant 274 light-years away, spectral class F0III, part of the loose Sickle asterism that traces the lion's head. Its name, from Arabic for 'the braid,' curves through the Sickle like a thread in a woven pattern.
Around This Date
- February 13, 1852Johann Franz Encke, the German astronomer who studied the periodic comet that bears his name, died, his most lasting contribution was calculating comet orbits to high precision.
- February 15, 2013A superbolide meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, releasing energy equivalent to about 400–500 kilotons and injuring roughly 1,500 people, mostly from window glass shattered by the airburst shockwave.
A braid in the lion's mane, even constellations have texture.