Moon Phases
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Waning Crescent 26% illuminated
Rise: 4:03 AM
Set: 12:02 PM
Eye on the Night Sky, February 12, 2026
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Today:
As Orion crests across the southern skies, his bright stars demonstrate considerably differences in color. Compare, for example, the star Betelgeuse on the upper left, appearing an orangish color, while on the lower right, Rigel shines a piercing blue. The colors indicate the star’s outer temperature, with red much cooler than the very hot blue.
Friday:
About one quarter of the way up, at around 6:10 PM, you’ll find the bluish star Deneb squarely in the northwest. Deneb in the 14th-brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere. Such a ranking is impressive considering how far away Deneb is. It’s so far away that estimates vary considerably as to it exact distance, ranging between 1,600 and 2,600 light years. Among the 16 brightest stars, the next closest is Rigel, at roughly 860 light years.
Saturday:
By 9:00 PM this evening, the “twin” stars of Gemini appear quite high in the southeast, two-thirds of the way up from the horizon, and ride very high across the southern skies. Pollux, a bit brighter and on the lower left, and Castor, on the upper right, are named for the sons of the Greek god Zeus and his mortal lover, Leda.
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.