February 2026 Astronomy Highlights

January is over! How long did it feel? Your reward for making it through is Planets, Moons and Early Spring Skies. February 2026 offers excellent opportunities for observing planets, lunar phases, and seasonal transitions as winter begins to give way to spring. Here’s what to look for this month.

Snow Moon – February 2nd or 3rd

The first major lunar event of the year is the Full Snow Moon. Named for the heavy winter snowfalls common in many northern regions. Rising in the early evening, it’s ideal for observing the lunar surface with binoculars or a telescope, highlighting craters or just observing and appreciating its presence with the naked eye.

Snow Moon – Dan Hadley

Orion and the Winter Constellations – All Month

As we move closer to Spring, the evenings will get shorter, and the Winter constellations start to leave our skies until reappearing in the Autumn. February and very early March will be our last opportunity to observe and appreciate some of the most well known contstellations in the northern hemisphere skies. Download a night sky app, pop your head outside on a clear night from 8 pm onwards and enjoy. Orion the Hunter, his two hunting dogs Canis Major and Minor, Gemini the Twins, Taurus the Bull and many more.

Orion – Frank Cone

Jupiter – the King of the Planets – All Month

Jupiter is the largest planet in our Solar System. It is also one of the brightest objects in the night sky, making it easy to spot with the naked eye. It’s currently positioned in Gemini between the bodies of the twins. Through binoculars, you can see its four largest moons lined up nearby, while a small telescope reveals cloud bands and the famous Great Red Spot. It’s one of the observing staples of the night sky and a great first step into observing the planets in our Solar System.

Jupiter – Zelch Csaba

Early Spring Skies & Zodiacal Light – All Month

As February progresses, longer evenings and earlier sunsets will improve opportunities for deep-sky observing. Around mid-to-late February, zodiacal light may become visible just after twilight in dark-sky locations. This faint, pyramid-shaped glow, caused by sunlight scattering off interplanetary dust in the inner solar system, is best seen toward the west soon after sunset.

Zodiacal Light – Dan Monk

February is an extremely exciting and varied month for stargazing. You can look at it broadly and enjoy the constellations and brightest stars with the naked eye, or you can delve deeper with a telescope and check out the planets and nebulae that sit in our departing winter skies. There’s something for everyone in February. Don’t forget about the Aurora Borealis, which will be visible throughout the month, especially in the Aurora Zone.

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