February 23, 2026: The nearly First Quarter moon occults stars in the Pleiades cluster. Viewing tips, binocular chart, and disappearance times for U.S. and Canada.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:35 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:34 p.m. CST. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Moon Occults Pleiades Tonight
The nearly First Quarter moon passes the Pleiades star cluster, part of Taurus, the Bull, before midnight across the western hemisphere. Sky watchers in Iceland see the lunar orb occult, or eclipse, three of the brighter stars in the cluster after midnight. From Europe, the moon approaches the cluster as they set in the west-northwest. Across the U.S. and Canada, the moon occults the dimmer stars 18 and 21 Tauri (Tau). Farther southward, the moon passes near the cluster.
To see the occultations, use a binocular or spotting scope. A telescope that yields about 20x magnification provides a good view, but too much magnification reduces the field of view. For this event, a wider field is desirable to see both the cluster and the moon.
The accompanying chart shows a binocular field at 9 p.m. CST as the moon approaches the cluster, as seen from Chicago.
The dimmer stars 18 and 21 Tauri are at the limit of human vision without optical assistance. Alcyone is the brightest Pleiad. Electra, Maia, and Taygeta are part of the stellar bundle visible when the moon is not nearby. These three stars are occulted from Iceland.
Watch the moon’s nighttime edge (limb) cover the stars; 30 to 40 minutes later, they reappear at the illuminated limb.
Occultation Disappearance Times
Here are starting times of the occultation, with the star occulted, for select cities in the U.S. and Canada:
| City | Star | Disappearance Time |
| Montreal | 21 Tau | 10:47 p.m. |
| Winnipeg | 21 Tau | 9:33 p.m. |
| Washington, DC | 18 Tau | 10:25 p.m. |
| Chicago | 18 Tau | 9:14 p.m. |
| Atlanta | 18 Tau | 10:29 p.m. |
| Denver | 18 Tau | 7:57 p.m. |
| Los Angeles | 18 Tau | 6:47 p.m. |
Watch the moon pass close to the Pleiades star cluster. Next month, from the western hemisphere, a pretty crescent moon appears below the cluster after sunset. On April 20, the cluster appears between the crescent moon and Venus. The group of three spans over 11°, a striking sight.
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