What’s Up in the Night Sky – February 2026

from In-The-Sky.org

Moon Phases

Full – February 1 – Full Snow Moon (appropriate for this year)

Last Quarter – February 9

New Moon – February 17

First Quarter – February 24

Close Encounters

February 1: The Full Moon and the Beehive Cluster are within 1.5° of each other.

February 2: The nearly full Moon occults the bright star Regulus in Leo.  Regulus disappears behind the short dark limb of the Moon at 7:44pm local time at an altitude of about 13° above the eastern horizon. At 8:37pm Regulus reemerges from behind the bright limb of the Moon at an altitude of about 23°.

February 10: The last quarter Moon is very close to Antares in Scorpius around Midnight at moonrise.

February 15: Saturn and Neptune are in conjunction around 9:30pm, with Saturn passing less than a degree south of Neptune. This may be a good opportunity to find Neptune.

February 18: The 1-day old Moon and Mercury are in conjunction in the early evening. At a separation of only 8’ both will fit in a field of view of a telescope with Mercury to the north of the Moon. The pair should be visible low in the western sky around 6pm when the sky darkens enough. The Moon occults Mercury for portions of the southwest United States this evening.

February 19: Mercury reaches dichotomy, when the planet shows equal day and night sides (first quarter Mercury, if you will). Look for Mercury in the western sky after sunset.

February 19:  The Moon and Saturn are in conjunction, with the 3-day-old Moon passing over 4 degrees north of Saturn.

February 20: Mercury reaches its highest altitude in the evening sky. Shining at magnitude -0.6, Mercury is 16° above the western horizon at sunset.

February 23: The nearly first-quarter Moon passes slightly more than a degree from the Pleiades star cluster in the evening.

February 26:  Venus and Mercury are in conjunction, passing less than 5° from each other. This will be a tough target to view as the pair are only 12° separated from the Sun.

February 27: The 10-day-old Moon passes 4° north of Jupiter.

February 28: The 11-day-old Moon passes within 1.5° of the Beehive Cluster.

Major Meteor Showers – from https://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/meteor-shower-calendar/

The next major meteor showers are the Lyrids and the eta Aquariids which begin activities in mid-April.

Planet Watch for February 14, 2026

Mercury begins its evening apparition. It reaches dichotomy on February 19 and its highest altitude in the evening sky on February 20.

Venus begins its evening apparition but is difficult to see all month due to its proximity to the Sun. It reaches its highest altitude in the evening sky on June 5, 2026.

Mars is lost in the Sun’s glare as it passed superior conjunction on January 9, 2026. Mars’ next opposition is February 19, 2027.

Jupiter reached opposition on January 10, 2026 and is visible almost all night long. Still bright at magnitude -2.6 it outshines nearby Castor and Pollux in Gemini.

Saturn is visible in the southwest after sunset and sets around 8:15pm local time. The ringed planet continues to shine near magnitude 1.0 in Pisces.

Uranus is an early evening object in the southwestern sky. It sets around 1am local time. Uranus continues to shine at magnitude 5.7 in Taurus.

Neptune is difficult to view as it is no higher than 19° above the western horizon at dusk. Neptune sets around 9:30pm. It reaches superior conjunction on March 22, 2026.

What’s Up in the Night Sky – January 2026

from In-The-Sky.org

Moon Phases

Full – January 3 – Full Wolf Moon

Last Quarter – January 10

New Moon – January 18

First Quarter – January 25

 Close Encounters

January 1: The Moon and Beta Tauri are in close conjunction in the evening.

January 3: The full Moon and Jupiter are in conjunction, with the Moon passing north of Jupiter by about 4° as the Sun sets.

January 4: The Comet 24P/Schaumasse passes closest to Earth in the predawn sky. In Virgo, it passes only 0.59 AU from Earth at a magnitude near 9.5.

January 6: Venus is at superior solar conjunction, ending its recent morning apparition and beginning its next evening apparition.

January 6: A waning gibbous Moon will be near Regulus at sunset.

January 9: Mars is at solar conjunction as it passes behind the Sun. The next time we observe Mars will be in the morning sky. Mars will next reach opposition on February 19, 2027.

January 10: Jupiter reaches opposition in the early morning hours of the 10^th.

January 14: The waning crescent Moon passes near Antares in the predawn sky.

January 21: Mercury is at superior solar conjunction, ending its recent morning apparition and beginning its next evening apparition.

January 23:  The 5-day old Moon joins Saturn and Neptune in the early evening sky in the constellation Pisces.

January 27: The 9-day old Moon passes about a degree from M45 (Pleiades).

January 28: The nearly full Moon makes another close pass of beta Tauri in the evening.

January 30: The Moon and Jupiter are in conjunction with a separation of less than 4 degrees.

Major Meteor Showers – from https://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/meteor-shower-calendar/

The Quadrantid meteor shower is active between December 28^th and January 12^th, with the peak activity expected on January 3^rd.  This is also the night of the full Moon so all but the brightest will be drowned out. Expect a best hourly rate of less than 10.

The next major meteor showers are the Lyrids and the eta Aquariids which begin activities in mid-April.

Planet Watch for January 15, 2026

Mercury is lost in the Sun’s glare as it passes behind the Sun from our vantage point. It reaches its highest altitude in the evening sky on February 20, 2026.

Venus is lost in the Sun’s glare as it passes behind the Sun from our vantage point. It reaches its highest altitude in the evening sky on June 5, 2026.

Mars is lost in the Sun’s glare as it approaches solar conjunction. Mars’ next opposition is February 19, 2027.

Jupiter reached opposition on January 10, 2026 and is visible all night long. At magnitude -2.7 it outshines nearby Castor and Pollux in Gemini.

Saturn is visible once the sky darkens and sets around 10pm local time. The ringed planet continues to shine near magnitude 1.0 in Aquarius.

Uranus is an early evening object in the eastern sky. It crosses the zenith around 9pm and becomes unobservable after 2am as it begins to set in the west. Uranus shines at magnitude 5.7 in Taurus.

Neptune is visible in the southwest sky once skies are dark. Neptune sets around 10:15pm, following Saturn over the horizon. It shines at 7.9 in the constellation Pisces.