Volume 17 -- Issue 2 Planet Watch -- February 2011 Mercury is very close to the Sun in the morning skies, and very quickly moves behind the Sun to superior conjunction at the end of February. The innermost planet will not be visible again until next month when it reappears as an evening planet. Venus shines very brightly over the southeastern horizon at sunrise this month. Use binoculars to follow Venus between the 1st and around the 11th as it passes within a few degrees of the Trifid and Lagoon Nebulas in in Sagittarius. On the 11th Venus will be a couple of degress from the open star cluster M-22. Mars is in solar conjunction, on the opposite side of the Sun and will not be seen until later this spring. Jupiter is over the southwestern horizon at sunset and sets a few hours later. Saturn rises before midnight local time and is visible over the southwestern horizon at sunrise.