February 12, 2026: Before sunrise, the waning crescent moon displays earthshine near Antares and Sagittarius. After sunset, Mercury climbs from twilight ahead of greatest elongation, Saturn fades, and Jupiter shines near Castor and Pollux.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:50 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:20 p.m. CST. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Morning Moon
Before sunrise, the waning crescent moon, 23% illuminated, is low in the south-southeastern sky. Find a clear view looking in that direction. The lunar crescent is over 15° to Antares’ lower left, Scorpius’ brightest star, and over 10° to the right of Kaus Borealis, a star in the Teapot of Sagittarius, a modern moniker for the Archer’s brightest stars. Use a binocular to see the nearby stars.
Earthshine
Look for earthshine, a gentle illumination of the lunar night portion by sunlight reflected from Earth’s oceans, clouds, and land. Photograph earthshine with a tripod-mounted camera or a steady camera phone. Exposures of several seconds overexpose the crescent to show the moon’s nighttime light.
New Moon, Solar Eclipse
The moon reaches the New Moon phase on the 17th, signaling the Lunar New Year. Lunation number 1276 begins. An annular solar eclipse occurs in Antarctica, with a partial eclipse across the Indian Ocean, southern Africa, and southern South America.
Mercury Appears After Sunset
After sunset, Mercury continues to emerge from bright evening twilight into a slightly darker sky. At 45 minutes after sundown, the Elusive World is over 5° above the west-southwest horizon. It is bright enough to shine through the colors of twilight, although a binocular might be needed for initial identification. Find a clear horizon looking toward Mercury. A hilltop or the top floor of a building helps with the view.
As Mercury approaches greatest elongation, it is higher in the sky and dimmer. By month’s end, the planet is obscured by evening twilight, even through a binocular. Spot Mercury before greatest elongation on the 19th; afterward it dims rapidly.
Saturn is sliding into brighter twilight each evening. Tonight, it is less than 25° above the west-southwest horizon and less than 20° to Mercury’s upper left. Saturn is past prime viewing, but its rings are still visible through a telescope. At this altitude — height above the horizon — the atmosphere dims and blurs celestial bodies, and the view is not very clear.
The same atmospheric filtering affects Neptune, which is in the same binocular field with Saturn. This level of twilight is brighter than the Distant Planet, and when Neptune is lower, the filtering effects are worse. Moonlight, twilight, and atmospheric filtering combine to close the viewing window. Neptune is not visible again until it is higher in the eastern sky before sunrise later in the year.
Venus is slowly entering the evening sky, but tonight it sets 42 minutes after the sun. Mars is not visible. After its conjunction with the sun last month, the Red Planet rises only 15 minutes before sunrise.
Bright Jupiter in East
When Mercury and Saturn are visible in the west, bright Jupiter is in the eastern sky near Castor and Pollux, the Gemini Twins. Until Venus returns to the night sky, the Jovian Giant is the brightest starlike body in the sky. It appears as a star, but its clouds and moons are visible through a telescope.
Jupiter retrogrades — appears to move westward against the starfield — for about another month. It is 9.7° to Pollux’s upper right and 10.7° to Castor’s lower right. Its motion relative to Wasat is easy to follow from night to night. Use a binocular to spot the dimmer star, 2.7° to Jupiter’s lower left. The background starfield is easier to see when the sky is darker, beginning about 90 minutes after sundown.
Uranus After Twilight Ends
Similarly, Uranus is easy to see through a binocular. The Tilted World is in the same field of view with the Pleiades star cluster. Find the cluster high in the south-southwest after twilight ends. Resembling a tiny dipper, the Pleiades are worthy of close inspection through the binocular. Adjust the view so the cluster is near the top of the field. Stars 13 and 14 Tauri (Tau) and aquamarine Uranus appear near the bottom of the field. Each clear, moonless evening during the next several weeks, watch Uranus move eastward to pass the two stars.
With the moon approaching the New Moon phase, find it in the southeastern sky before sunrise. After sundown, look for Mercury, Saturn, Jupiter, and Uranus.
No Planet Parade at Month’s End
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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