Moon Phases
Sunday, February 22, 2026
Waxing Crescent 25% illuminated
Rise: 8:40 AM
Set: none today
Eye on the Night Sky, February 22, 2026
Sunday, February 22, 2026
Today:
High in the southeastern sky by 6:30 PM, you can view the First Quarter Moon. Along the Ecliptic and well to the Moon’s left is the brilliant Jupiter. Well to Moon’s right, barely above the western horizon, comes fleeting view of Mercury, which will set before 7:00 PM. On the heels of Mercury will be Saturn, to Mercury’s left, itself to set by 7:45 PM.
Monday:
By 7:00 PM, the Moon appears high in the southwest. The Moon is surrounded by three constellations, Aries to its right, Perseus above, and Taurus to the Moon’s left. In the direction of Taurus, to the immediate left of the Moon, is the star cluster called the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters.
Tuesday:
Orion boasts a fine collection of bright stars, including the bluish-white beacon to the lower right of his three belt stars. Rigel, meaning “left foot”, is classified as a blue supergiant, estimated to be 862 light years, and emitting approximately 200 thousand times more light than the Sun.
Start Chart:
Ground Hog Day Celestial Shadows!
The Moon passes right in front of the star Regulus during the evening of February 2nd, 2026.
The Moon will be just one day past Full when it passes between us and the star Regulus, the brightest star in Leo, the Lion, often depicted as the front of his chest.
It is complicated, however.
The Earth’s rotation causes the stars, as well as the Moon, to rise higher in the east. The Moon’s orbital motion, however, goes the opposite way, with the Moon actually moving to the lower left, toward the horizon, but much, much more slowly. This means the Moon appears just above the star Regulus before 8:50 PM, and then its true motion causes it to cover Regulus from 8:53 PM to 9:58 PM. As the Moon continues its motion, Regulus re-emerges on the upper right edge of the Moon.
This event is called an “occultation”, and is quite rare when happening to a bright star. They do come in cycles though, with additional occulations of Regulus expected over the next few years.
This program is a partnership between the Fairbanks Museum and Vermont Public.