February 11, 2026: Mercury climbs higher after sunset toward greatest elongation on February 19. Jupiter shines in the east, Saturn fades, and no planet parade appears.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:51 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:19 p.m. CST. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
A View of Mercury
Mercury is emerging from bright evening twilight toward its greatest elongation and best visibility during this apparition on February 19. Each evening, the planet appears higher in the west-southwest during twilight.
Observing a little later each evening places Mercury in a darker sky, but at nearly the same altitude — height above the horizon — as the previous night.
About 45 minutes after sunset, Mercury is roughly 5° above the west-southwest horizon and fairly bright, only slightly dimmer than Sirius, though viewed through bright twilight. A clear, unobstructed view toward the west-southwest is required. Use a binocular. An elevated location, such as a hillside or upper floor, improves visibility.
As Mercury approaches greatest elongation, it fades by about 7% each evening. After eight evenings, the planet is about 58% of tonight’s brightness. As it retreats back into evening twilight near month’s end, it drops to roughly 6% of tonight’s brightness and becomes too dim to see through a binocular against the bright twilight sky.
Tonight, more planets are visible than on the evening of the widely promoted planet parade near month’s end.
Venus is entering the western evening sky, but it sets about 40 minutes after sunset.
Saturn, slowly sliding into brighter twilight, is about 25° above the west-southwest horizon, more than 20° to Mercury’s upper left.
Jupiter
Jupiter is the third bright planet visible at this time. It is nearly halfway from the horizon to overhead in the east, in front of Gemini, near Pollux and Castor.
At this level of twilight, Neptune, positioned near Saturn, is not visible. The sky is also too bright to see Uranus through a binocular.
Tonight’s planetary view includes three naked-eye planets — Jupiter, Mercury, and Saturn.
In several evenings, Venus becomes visible, but Mercury continues to fade. On the evening of Mercury’s greatest elongation, Venus is above the horizon about 30 minutes after sunset, but the sky remains too bright to see Saturn. Mercury is visible only with a binocular. Jupiter is visible, but Uranus and Neptune remain out of view.
There is no true planet parade spectacle, aside from the geometric fact that six planets are east of the sun at the same time. They are not simultaneously visible.
Moon, Before Sunrise Today
Before sunrise, the crescent Moon, 32% illuminated, is less than 20° above the south-southeast horizon, 4.5° to Antares’ lower left, Scorpius’ brightest star.
Planet Parade?
Late in February, the so-called planet parade consists of planets scattered across the sky rather than aligned or grouped in any meaningful way, even though several are visible during the same evening hours. Jupiter and Moon are the clear standouts, shining high and bright after sunset, while other planets require careful timing and unobstructed horizons. Claims of a rare string of planets across the sky exaggerate what observers can actually see. The February 8 Sky Almanac lays out the geometry, visibility limits, and practical expectations for skywatchers at month’s end.
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