Sun, Moon, and Stars: February 2000
Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff 
Sun, Moon & Stars
Movement of the heavenly bodies: February, 2000
Movement of the heavenly bodies: February, 2000
| Celestial links · Blue Moon Myths · Visibility of the Planets · Sunrise/Sunset times · Moonrise/Moonset times · Equinoxes and Solstices · Eclipses in 2000 · Astronomical terms · Calendar 2000 | Although the full moon occurring this Saturday, February 19th, will look like an ordinary full moon, it will actually be a bit extraordinary—because it is a Blue Moon. |
February Calendar
| Day | Phenomenon | Hour (UT) | Hour (EST) |
| 1 | Vesta, the third-largest asteroid, is 0 degrees 4 minutes north of the Moon. The asteroid is occulted, or hidden from view, by the Moon. | 0000 | 7 pm (Jan 31st) |
| 1 | The Moon is at its apogee, or farthest point from Earth in its monthly orbit. | 0100 | 8 pm (Jan 31st) |
| 2 | Venus is 1 degree 4 minutes south of the Moon. | 1500 | 10 am |
| 5 | NEW Moon Partial eclipse of the Sun. The eclipse will be visible in Antarctica and the central southern Indian Ocean. | 1300 | 8 am |
| 6 | Uranus is in conjunction with the Sun, that is, Uranus and Earth are aligned on opposite sides of the Sun. | 0700 | 2 am |
| 6 | Mercury is 1 degree 8 minutes north of the Moon. | 1900 | 2 pm |
| 8 | Mars is 4 degrees north of the Moon. | 1700 | 12 pm |
| 10 | Ceres, the largest asteroid, appears to be motionless in the sky as its apparent direct motion changes to backward, or retrograde, motion. | 1500 | 10 am |
| 11 | Jupiter is 4 degrees north of the Moon. | 0200 | 9 pm (Feb. 10) |
| 12 | Saturn is 3 degrees north of the Moon. | 0000 | 7 pm (Feb. 11) |
| 12 | FIRST QUARTER | 2300 | 6 pm |
| 14 | Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation Taurus, is 1 degree 2 minutes south of the Moon. The star is occulted, or hidden from view, by the Moon. | 0300 | 10 pm (Feb. 13) |
| 15 | Mercury is at its greatest elongation, or angular distance from the Sun, at 18 degrees east of the Sun. | 0100 | 8 pm (Feb. 14) |
| 17 | The Moon is at its perigee, or closest point to Earth in its monthly orbit. | 0300 | 10 pm (Feb.16) |
| 19 | FULL Moon | 1600 | 11 am |
| 20 | Mercury appears to be motionless in the sky as its apparent direct motion changes to backward, or retrograde, motion. | 2200 | 5 pm |
| 22 | Venus is 0 degrees 5 minutes south of Neptune. | 0600 | 1 am |
| 26 | Pallas, the second-largest asteroid, appears to be motionless in the sky as its apparent backward, or retrograde, motion changes back to direct motion. | 0900 | 4 am |
| 27 | LAST QUARTER | 0400 | 11 pm (Feb. 26) |
| 28 | The Moon is at its apogee, or farthest point from Earth in its monthly orbit. | 2100 | 4 pm |
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