February 2
February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 333 days remain until the year's end. It falls in winter (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Aquarius.
Day of year
33
Days remaining
333
ISO week
5
Zodiac
Aquarius
Season
Winter
Sun declination
-17.2°
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Wikipedia: this day →Britannica: this day →LoC: Today in History →History.com: this day →On-This-Day.com →BBC: On This Day →NYT: this day →Time and Date →NASA APOD archive →U.S. Naval Observatory →Wolfram|Alpha →Wikidata →Google Books →JSTOR →Internet Archive →
— ad slot (replace with AdSense ins tag) —
Astronomy
Computed via Cooper's formula. Positive declination = Sun north of the celestial equator (Northern Hemisphere summer).
On February 2 the Sun's declination is approximately -17.2°. At this latitude the Sun is south of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere shorter days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a February 2.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- Groundhog Day (United States, Canada)
- Candlemas (Christian)
- World Wetlands Day
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
- 1536 — Spanish explorer Pedro de Mendoza founded the city of Buenos Aires. ↗(490 years ago)
- 1848 — Mexican-American War: the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, ceding California and other Mexican territories to the United States. ↗(178 years ago)
- 1887 — In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Groundhog Day was first celebrated. ↗(139 years ago)
- 1922 — James Joyce's Ulysses was published in Paris. ↗(104 years ago)
- 1990 — South African President F. W. de Klerk announced the unbanning of the African National Congress and the imminent release of Nelson Mandela. ↗(36 years ago)
Notable births
Notable deaths
- 1979 — Sid Vicious, English bassist (Sex Pistols). ↗(47 years ago)
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (33) | 3 × 11 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (333) | 3^2 × 37 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 02022026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | -17.24° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 44 days |