February 21, 2026: A detailed evening sky almanac describing the waxing crescent Moon, earthshine, fading Mercury, emerging Venus, dominant Jupiter, and binocular views of Uranus.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:38 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:31 p.m. CST. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Almanac for Sun, Moon, and Planets
Sun: At Chicago’s latitude, the sun shines for 10 hours, 53 minutes, while daylight lasts 11 hours, 27 minutes at Miami’s latitude. Farther north, in Anchorage, daylight spans 9 hours, 41 minutes. From the Southern Hemisphere, in Auckland, daylight lasts 13 hours, 13 minutes. At noon, the sun is overhead at latitude 10° south.
Moon: The moon is a waxing crescent, visible in the western sky after sunset. About one hour after sundown, the lunar orb stands roughly halfway between the west-southwest horizon and overhead. The Moon is 23% illuminated and appears 10° to the lower left of Hamal, Aries’ brightest star.
The moon passed through the New moon phase on February 17, marking the start of a new lunation and the Lunar New Year. Moving farther eastward each evening, the Moon’s illuminated portion grows nightly, a defining feature of the waxing phase.
Until the moon reaches roughly 30% illumination, earthshine is visible on the lunar night portion. This effect is sunlight reflected from Earth’s clouds, oceans, and land that softly illuminates the lunar night. Seen from the Moon, Earth’s phase is nearly full, providing the light that outlines the unlit hemisphere.
Inner Planets
Mercury: The Elusive Planet is retreating into brighter evening twilight following its greatest elongation two evenings ago. As Mercury descends into stronger twilight, its brightness diminishes, yet it remains visible through the colorful hues of twilight. Use a binocular to initially locate the planet less than 10° above the west-southwest horizon.
Venus: The Evening Star is beginning to appear in the west-southwest during bright evening twilight. About 30 minutes after sundown, Venus stands nearly 4° above the horizon. Observers should choose a site with a clear, unobstructed horizon in the planet’s direction.
Bright Outer Planets
Mars:The Red Planet is immersed in bright morning twilight, rising only about 20 minutes before the Sun. Mars returns to darker morning skies later in the spring.
Jupiter:Until Venus returns to a darker sky, Jupiter dominates the evening heavens. Find the Jovian Giant more than halfway up in the east-southeast as darkness falls. Jupiter retrogrades in front of Gemini near Castor and Pollux. The planet resumes eastward motion against the starry background on March 10. Jupiter is high in the south before midnight and sets in the west-northwest more than two hours before sunrise.
Saturn:The Ringed Wonder is slipping into evening twilight, over 10° to Mercury’s upper left in the west-southwest. This apparition is past prime, and telescopic views are softened by atmospheric blurring and extinction. Saturn passes behind the Sun later next month.
Faint Outer Planets
Uranus: The Tilted World is high in the southwest at the end of evening twilight, a favorable observing location while the Moon remains a crescent. Use a binocular to locate Uranus in the same field of view near the Pleiades star cluster, to Orion’s upper right, where the stars resemble a tiny dipper. Uranus appears as an aquamarine star near 13 and 14 Tauri (Tau).
Neptune: The Distant World is no longer reasonably observable. Bright twilight and low altitude effectively end evening visibility. Neptune appears near Saturn in the sky, with both planets losing four to five minutes of setting time each evening relative to sunset. Neptune’s first morning appearance occurs later in the year.
No Planet Parade
As the month draws to a close, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, and the Moon are visible during evening twilight. Uranus is observable with a binocular. Mercury and Saturn continue departing the evening sky, while Venus slowly emerges as the Moon waxes. There is no large-scale planet parade at month’s end. Venus, Jupiter, and the Moon appear at different stages of evening twilight, while the remaining planets are lost in sunlight.
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