Sky Notes · Monthly sky · Feb 2027

The night sky over Hyderabad: February 2027

Jupiter and Mars reach opposition in Leo and are up all night, Saturn says goodbye in the evening twilight, and Venus rises before dawn.

By Bhanu Prakash, astronomer · Hyderabad

Highlights

• 6 Feb: New Moon.
• Mid-February: Jupiter at opposition, up all night and at its brightest for the year.
• Second half of February: Mars at opposition, also in Leo.
• 21 Feb: Full Moon.

Two planets at opposition

At opposition a planet is on the opposite side of the sky from the Sun. It rises at sunset, is highest around midnight and sets at sunrise, and it is closer and brighter than at any other time that year.

Jupiter reaches opposition around the middle of the month. From Hyderabad it passes almost straight overhead around midnight, which means steady, sharp views. Even binoculars held still show up to four of its moons in a line; a small telescope shows its cloud belts.

Mars reaches opposition in the second half of February, close to Jupiter in Leo. It is a steady orange-red point. This is a fairly distant opposition, so Mars looks small in a telescope, but it is still a good month to pick out its colour and track it night by night against the stars.

Saturn and Venus

Saturn is low in the west after sunset and sets earlier each evening, sinking into the twilight by the end of the month.

Venus rises in the south-east about an hour and a half before the Sun.

Plan a night

The week around the New Moon on 6 February is the best for faint objects. With Orion high in the evening and Jupiter rising at sunset, a single February evening can take you from a star nursery to a giant planet and its moons.

Times are for Hyderabad and rounded to the nearest few minutes. Planet positions are calculated on this site and are good to about a degree. Check the Tonight’s Sky panel for any night.