The reporter learned from the Beijing Planetarium that in late February, people can enjoy Venus, Mars and the smallest full moon of the year, two wonderful celestial phenomena, which should not be missed by astronomy enthusiasts.
Schematic view of the southeastern sky before sunrise on February 23.
Before sunrise on February 22 and 23, Beijing time, people look at the low sky in the southeast and find that Venus and Mars are very close, and the angular distance between the two is only 40, and if you choose to observe before sunrise on the 21st and 24th, the angular distance is less than 1°. However, since the time of the rise of Venus and Mars is only about 1 hour away from sunrise, everyone should seize the time to observe.
Comparison chart of the minimum and maximum Full Moon in 2023.
Then, on the evening of February 24, one of the smallest full moons of the year can be seen in the night sky. The moon will be round but not big that night, and it will look smaller than the supermoon that people say. The two annual minimum Full Moons in February and March are close to apogee, with an apparent diameter of about 29 40, and this year's largest Full Moon will occur in September and October. The difference in apparent diameter between the smallest and largest Full Moons is about 14%, making them a favorite celestial phenomenon for astronomy and photography enthusiasts. **CCTV News Client Editor-in-charge: Yang Xue.