February 14, 2026: This sky almanac highlights the waning crescent moon, Mercury’s best evening visibility, Jupiter shining high after sunset, and where to find Saturn and Uranus.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:48 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:23 p.m. CST. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Sun: At Chicago’s latitude, the sun is above the horizon for 10 hours, 35 minutes. At Miami’s latitude, daylight lasts 11 hours, 17 minutes. Farther north, in Anchorage, daylight spans 9 hours.
The sun is overhead at noon at latitude 13° south. In Auckland, daylight lasts 13 hours, 29 minutes.
Moon: The moon is at the waning crescent phase. It is a challenging sight about 45 minutes before sunrise, when it is less than 5° above the horizon. The New Moon occurs on the 17th at 6:01 a.m. Central Time. This lunation marks the Lunar New Year, beginning at the season’s second New Moon.
This New Moon also marks the start of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. That calendar consists of 12 lunar months totaling 354 days and does not include a correction to align with the solar year. As a result, Ramadan moves through the seasons. Depending on local custom, the month begins either on the date of the New Moon or when the waxing crescent moon is first seen in the western sky after sunset.
At this month’s New moon, an annular (ring) solar eclipse occurs over Antarctica, while a partial solar eclipse is visible across the Indian Ocean and southern regions of Africa and South America.
Inner Planets
Mercury: Mercury nears its best appearance for this evening apparition. Each night, the planet is higher above the horizon but fades by about 7% compared to the previous evening. At 45 minutes after sunset, Mercury is over 5° above the west-southwest horizon, shining through the colors of evening twilight. From a location with a clear view toward the west-southwest, use a binocular to initially locate the planet. At this time, Saturn is about 17° to Mercury’s upper left.
Venus: Venus is slowly entering the western evening sky. Tonight, it sets 44 minutes after sunset. In several evenings, it appears low in the west-southwest about 30 minutes after sunset.
Bright Outer Planets
Mars: Mars is west of the sun and rises only 16 minutes before sunrise. The Red Planet first becomes noticeable in the eastern morning sky during late spring.
Jupiter: Until Venus climbs higher into the evening sky, Jupiter is the brightest planet visible at night. After sunset, it stands halfway from the eastern horizon to overhead. Jupiter continues to retrograde in front of Gemini, positioned 9.9° to Pollux’s upper right and 10.8° to Castor’s lower right. This westward motion continues for about another month. Use a binocular to follow Jupiter’s changing position relative to the dimmer star Wasat. Jupiter is high in the south about four hours after sunset and sets in the west-northwest roughly two hours before sunrise.
Saturn: Saturn is low in the west-southwest after sunset and continues its descent toward solar conjunction in late March. In less than a month, it sets during evening twilight. Saturn’s declining visibility results from its low altitude above the horizon, where thicker air dims and blurs the planet. Through a telescope, achieving sharp focus is difficult.
Fainter Outer Planets
Uranus: Uranus is well placed for viewing high in the south-southwest at the end of evening twilight, about 90 minutes after sunset. It appears in the same binocular field as the Pleiades star cluster, a compact grouping of stars in Taurus. With the Pleiades positioned near the top of the field of view, Uranus appears as a small bluish point near the stars 13 and 14 Tauri.
Neptune: Neptune lies near Saturn in the western sky, but its visibility has passed because of atmospheric filtering near the horizon. It becomes observable before sunrise later in the year, though Saturn will no longer serve as a guide.
During the nighttime hours, look for Jupiter, Mercury, and Saturn. A binocular reveals Uranus near the Pleiades star cluster.
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 the 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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