Astroblog: February 2026


North-western sky on the evening of Saturday, February 28 as seen from Adelaide at 20:20 ACDST (30 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).	Western sky on the evening of Saturday, February 28 as seen from Los Angeles at 18:29 local time (30 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

Despite a variety of claims on the internet, you won't be able to see all 6 planets lined up on February 28, 2026 (UPDATE).

The good news is that they are lined up. The bad news is that they are too deep in the twilight to see.

At civil twilight, 30 minutes after sunset, if you have a clear, level, unobstructed horizon, Mercury, Venus, Saturn and Neptune are invisible in the twilight glow (Mercury has set in the southern hemisphere), as is Uranus. Jupiter *might* just be visible.

Venus may be visible in binoculars (or if you have very good eyesight) in the Northern hemisphere low in the twilight if the horizon conditions are clear. UDPATE: In some places in the Northern hemisphere, Venus may be high enough to see at nautical twilight. Daniel Fischer was able to image it at nautical twilight in Bochum in the EU https://scicomm.xyz/@cosmos4u/116133837700056539 .

60 minutes later at astronomical twilight, when the sky is darker, Venus and Saturn have set (well they are right on the horizon in the Northern Hemisphere and still is high in some places see update above) and Uranus will be just visible in binoculars (Jupiter will be well visible).

Labels: lineup, Mercury, Neptune, public outreach, Saturn, Venus

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 7:32 am 2 comments

The Full Moon is Tuesday March 3. There is a total lunar eclipse in the evening at this time. Saturn is lost in the twilight. Jupiter dominates the northern sky. It forms a broad triangle with the bright stars Betelgeuse and Procyon, and a narrower triangle with the stars Castor and Pollux. Jupiter is close to the waxing moon on the 27th. Uranus can be seen in binoculars above the Pleiades cluster. The variable star Mira may be visible in the evening.

The Full Moon is Tuesday March 3. There is a total lunar eclipse in the evening at this time.

North-western sky on the evening of Saturday, February 28 as seen from Adelaide at 21:22 ACDST ( 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

The planet Uranus is theoretically visible to the unaided eye from Dark sky locations, as it is magnitude 5.7, but it is best seen with binoculars. The beautiful and obvious Pleiades cluster is the signpost to the faint planet. The waxing moon will make seeing Uranus more difficult.

The variable star Mira is brightening and should be visible now, but the nearly full moon may mean you need binoculars to identify it (the barred circle in the image)

The inset is the binocular view of the Pleiades and Uranus at this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time ( 90 minutes after sunset).

North-eastern sky on Friday, February 27 as seen from Adelaide at 21:24 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Jupiter was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on January the 10th, but will be bright for many months. Jupiter forms a broad triangle with the bright stars Betelgeuse and Procyon, and a narrower triangle with the stars Castor and Pollux. Jupiter is close to the waxing Moon.

The inset shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

Sky looking North-east on Tuesday March 3 as seen from Adelaide at 21:18 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

The rising full Moon is partially eclipsed. Totality will start at 22:33 and be at maximum eclipse at 23:03. Other states will see similar views at the equivalent local times. The inset show the binocular view at this time.

Detailed times for selected cites and viewing charts are at my Lunar Eclipse page.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

Whole sky on Saturday, February 28 as seen from Adelaide at 21:22 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Jupiter is prominent in the north.

Bright Canopus and Sirius are near the Zenith. Orion is now high in the north-western sky.

The Southern Cross is rising in the Southern sky. The moon is nearly full and the fainter clusters and nebula are hard to see.

Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset).

Mercury is lost in the twilight.

Venus is lost in the twilight glow.

Mars is lost in the twilight.

Jupiter climbs in the morning twilight and is now rising before astronomical twilight. Jupiter forms a broad triangle with the bright stars Betelgeuse and Procyon, and a narrower triangle with the stars Castor and Pollux Jupiter was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on January the 10th. Jupiter is near the Moon on the 27th.

Saturn is lost in the twilight

Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.

Star Map via Virtual sky. Use your mouse to scroll around and press 8 when your pointer is in the map to set to the current time.

Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.

Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 1:52 am 1 comments


North-eastern horizon as seen from Sydney on 3 March at 22:34 AEDST. The Moon is at totality. The inset shows the telescopic/binocular view at this time. Click to embiggen	North-eastern as seen from Adelaide on 3 March at 22:03 ACDST. The Moon is at totality. The inset shows the telescopic/binocular view at this time. Click to embiggen	Eastern horizon as seen from Perth on 3 March at 19:34 AWST. The Moon is at totality. The inset shows the telescopic/binocular view at this time. Click to embiggen

On the evening of Tuesday, March the 3rd there is a nice total eclipse, the last total eclipse in Australia until December 2028 (which is in the early morning). Fortunately, the eclipse starts in the early evening, and is very convenient, especially if you have young children. This is a nice eclipse with totality lasting 59 minutes.

Times for the eclipse at cities around Australia are below. Western Australia sees the moon rise in the twilight almost completely eclipsed, Central states see the eclipse end around Nautical twilight as the sky is beginning to darken. For the East coast sees the eclipse start either when the sky is fully dark or twilight is just ending. Everywhere will be able to see totality and eclipse end.

You will see some sites calling this a "blood Moon", The Moon does not turn the colour of blood but will go a deep copper colour due to the refraction of red light through our atmosphere.

A guide I wrote for the October 2014 lunar eclipse to taking photos of the eclipse is here. And here is a more general (and more recent) link to lunar photography with mobile phones and adapters that is useful for mobile phone imaging of the eclipse.

You can also use this eclipse to show the earth is not flat.

See here for a map and contact timings in Universal Time for sites outside Australia.

City	Civil Twilight	Nautical Twilight	Astronomical twilight	Eclipse Start	Totality Start	Maximum Eclipse	Totality End	Eclipse End
Adelaide (ACDST)	20:16	20:46	21:18	20:20	21:34	22:03	22:33	23:47
Alice Springs (ACST)	19:45	20:14	20:43	19:20	20:34	21:04	21:33	22:47
Brisbane (AEST)	18:41	19:09	19:37	19:50	21:04	21:34	22:03	23:17
Cairns (AEST)	19:02	19:28	19:53	19:50	21:04	21:34	22:03	23:17
Canberra (AEDST)	20:04	20:35	21:06	20:50	22:04	22:34	23:03	00:17
Darwin (ACST)	19:29	19:54	20:19	19:20	20:34	21:03	21:33	22:47
Hobart (AEDST)	20:21	20:56	21:32	20:50	22:04	22:34	23:03	00:17
Melbourne (AEDST)	20:24	20:56	21:28	20:50	22:04	22:34	23:03	00:17
Perth (AWST)	19:14	19:43	20:13	17:50	19:04	19:34	20:03	21:17
Rockhampton (AEST)	18:48	19:15	19:42	19:50	21:04	21:34	22:03	23:17
Sydney (AEDST)	19:55	20:24	20:55	20:50	22:04	22:34	23:03	00:17
Townsville (AEST)	19:00	19:25	19:52	19:50	21:04	21:34	22:03	23:17

Weather: Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.

Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/

Labels: eclipse, lunar eclipse, unaided eye

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 12:54 am 0 comments

The First Quarter Moon is Tuesday February 24. The Lunar X can bee seen at First Quarter. Saturn is low in the western twilight. Saturn is near the thin crescent Moon on the 20th. Jupiter dominates the northern sky. It forms a broad triangle with the bright stars Betelgeuse and Procyon, and a narrower triangle with the stars Castor and Pollux. Uranus can be seen in binoculars above the Pleiades cluster. The variable star Mira may be visible in the evening.

The First Quarter Moon is Tuesday February 24. Moon at perigee (closest to Earth) on the 25th.

North-western sky on the evening of Saturday, February 21 as seen from Adelaide at 21:32 ACDST ( 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

The planet Uranus is theoretically visible to the unaided eye from Dark sky locations, as it is magnitude 5.7, but it is best seen with binoculars. The beautiful and obvious Pleiades cluster is the signpost to the faint planet. The waxing moon will not interfere until later in the week.

The inset is the binocular view of the Pleiades and Uranus at this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time ( 90 minutes after sunset).

Western sky on Friday, February 20 as seen from Adelaide at 20:45 ACDST (45 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Saturn is low in the western twilight.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (45 minutes after sunset).

North-eastern sky on Saturday, February 21 as seen from Adelaide at 21:32 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Jupiter was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on January the 10th, but will be bright for many months. Jupiter forms a broad triangle with the bright stars Betelgeuse and Procyon, and a narrower triangle with the stars Castor and Pollux.

The inset shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

Sky looking North-west on Tuesday February 24 as seen from Adelaide at 20:56 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

The First Quarter Moon is clearly visible above the horizon close to he Pleiades cluster. the Lunar X and V may bee seen in a telescope or strong binoculars. The insets show the telescopic and binocular views at this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).

Whole sky on Saturday, February 14 as seen from Adelaide at 21:52 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Saturn has set. Jupiter is prominent in the north.

Bright Canopus and Sirius are near the Zenith. Orion is now high in the north-western sky.

The Southern Cross is low in the Southern sky. The moon is waxing and the fainter clusters and nebula are becoming harder to see.

Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset).

Mercury is lost in the twilight.

Venus is lost in the twilight glow.

Mars is lost in the twilight.

Jupiter climbs in the morning twilight and is now rising before astronomical twilight. Jupiter forms a broad triangle with the bright stars Betelgeuse and Procyon, and a narrower triangle with the stars Castor and Pollux Jupiter was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on January the 10th.

Saturn is the brightest object in the north-western skies but is getting lower in the twilight. Saturn is near the thin crescent Moon on the 20th.

Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.

Star Map via Virtual sky. Use your mouse to scroll around and press 8 when your pointer is in the map to set to the current time.

Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.

Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 1:09 am 0 comments

The New Moon is Tuesday February 17. Saturn is low in the western sky. Jupiter is rising before astronomical twilight and dominates the northern sky. It forms a broad triangle with the bright stars Betelgeuse and Procyon, and a narrower triangle with the stars Castor and Pollux. Uranus can be seen in binoculars above the Pleiades cluster. Comet C/2024 E1 Wierzchos may be visible in binoculars. The variable star Mira may be visible in the evening.

The New Moon is Monday February 17.

North-western sky on the evening of Saturday, February 14 as seen from Adelaide at 21:52 ACDST ( 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

The planet Uranus is theoretically visible to the unaided eye from Dark sky locations, as it is magnitude 5.7, but it is best seen with binoculars. The beautiful and obvious Pleiades cluster is the signpost to the faint planet. The waning moon will not interfere in the early evening.

The inset is the binocular view of the Pleiades and Uranus at this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time ( 90 minutes after sunset).

Western sky on Saturday, February 14 as seen from Adelaide at 21:17 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Saturn is lowering in the west.

The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).

North-eastern sky on Saturday, February 14 as seen from Adelaide at 21:52 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Jupiter was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on January the 10th, but will be bright for many months. Jupiter forms a broad triangle with the bright stars Betelgeuse and Procyon, and a narrower triangle with the stars Castor and Pollux.

The inset shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

Western sky on Saturday, February 14 as seen from Adelaide at 21:52 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Saturn is setting in the west. Comet C/2024 E1 Wierzchos is close to the constellation of the Phoenix.

Comet C/2024 E1 Wierzchos was predicted to be bright, but has remained dim. The comet will be higher in the evening skies when the sky is fully dark and the waning moon is rising well after the Comet has set. It may be visible in binoculars at this time.

the circle shows the location of the variable star Mira, which is brightening, it should be visible to the unaided eye about now.

The inset shows the binocular view of the comet at this this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).

Whole sky on Saturday, February 14 as seen from Adelaide at 21:52 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Saturn is setting in the northwest. Jupiter is rising in the northeast.

Bright Canopus and Sirius are near the Zenith. Orion is now high in the north-western sky.

The Southern Cross is low in the Southern sky. The moon is waning and the fainter clusters and nebula are becoming easier to see.

Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset).

Mercury is lost in the twilight.

Venus is lost in the twilight glow.

Mars is lost in the twilight.

Jupiter climbs in the morning twilight and is now rising before astronomical twilight. Jupiter forms a broad triangle with the bright stars Betelgeuse and Procyon, and a narrower triangle with the stars Castor and Pollux Jupiter was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on January the 10th.

Saturn is the brightest object in the north-western skies but is getting lower.

Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.

Star Map via Virtual sky. Use your mouse to scroll around and press 8 when your pointer is in the map to set to the current time.

Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.

Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 6:00 pm 0 comments

The Last Quarter Moon is Monday February 9. Saturn is low in the western sky. Jupiter is rising before astronomical twilight and dominates the northern sky. It forms a broad triangle with the bright stars Betelgeuse and Procyon, and a narrower triangle with the stars Castor and Pollux. Uranus can be seen in binoculars above the Pleiades cluster. Comet C/2024 E1 Wierzchos may be visible in binoculars. The variable star Mira may be visible in the evening.

The Last Quarter Moon is Monday February 9. The Moon is at apogee (when it is furthest from Earth) on the 11th.

North-western sky on the evening of Saturday, February 7 as seen from Adelaide at 21:52 ACDST ( 90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

The planet Uranus is theoretically visible to the unaided eye from Dark sky locations, as it is magnitude 5.7, but it is best seen with binoculars. The beautiful and obvious Pleiades cluster is the signpost to the faint planet. The waning moon will not interfere in the early evening.

The inset is the binocular view of the Pleiades and Uranus at this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time ( 90 minutes after sunset).

Western sky on Saturday, February 7 as seen from Adelaide at 21:17 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Saturn is lowering in the west.

The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).

North-eastern sky on Saturday, February 7 as seen from Adelaide at 21:52 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Jupiter was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 10th, but will be bright for many months. Jupiter forms a broad triangle with the bright stars Betelgeuse and Procyon, and a narrower triangle with the stars Castor and Pollux.

The inset shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset).

Western sky on Saturday, February 7 as seen from Adelaide at 21:52 ACDST (90 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Saturn is setting in the west. Comet C/2024 E1 Wierzchos is close to the constellation of the Phoenix.

Comet C/2024 E1 Wierzchos was predicted to be bright, but has remained dim. The comet will be higher in the evening skies when the sky is fully dark and the waning moon is rising well after the Comet has set. It may be visible in binoculars at this time.

the circle shows the location of the variable star Mira, which is brightening, it should be visible to the unaided eye about now.

The inset shows the binocular view of the comet at this this time.

Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time (60 minutes after sunset).

Whole sky on Saturday, February 7 as seen from Adelaide at 21:52 ACDST, 90 minutes after sunset (click to embiggen).

Saturn is setting in the northwest. Jupiter is rising in the northeast.

Bright Canopus and Sirius are near the Zenith. Orion is now high in the north-western sky.

The Southern Cross is low in the Southern sky. The moon is waning and the fainter clusters and nebula are becoming easier to see.

Elsewhere in Australia will see a similar view at the equivalent time (90 minutes after sunset).

Mercury is lost in the twilight.

Venus is lost in the twilight glow.

Mars is lost in the twilight.

Jupiter climbs in the morning twilight and is now rising before astronomical twilight. Jupiter forms a triangle with the bright stars Castor and Pollux, and Procyon. Jupiter was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, on the 10th.

Saturn is the brightest object in the north-western skies but is getting lower.

Printable PDF maps of the Eastern sky at 10 pm AEST, Western sky at 10 pm AEST. For further details and more information on what's up in the sky, see Southern Skywatch.

Star Map via Virtual sky. Use your mouse to scroll around and press 8 when your pointer is in the map to set to the current time.

Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.

Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/

Labels: weekly sky

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 6:00 pm 0 comments