2026, February 24: Why February’s Planet Parade Falls Short

February 24, 2026: Venus enters the evening sky as Mercury and Saturn fade into twilight. See what planets are truly visible during late February.

2023, May 22: Brilliant Venus and the crescent moon, with earthshine,
Photo Caption – 2023, May 22: Brilliant Venus and the crescent moon, with earthshine,

by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:33 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:35 p.m. CST.  Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.

Planets in Transition

The planets in the evening sky are in transition during this final week of February. Venus is entering, while Mercury and Saturn are slipping into brighter twilight. Bright Jupiter shines nearly all night.

This transition explains why a dramatic planet display is not visible at month’s end. In a week, only Venus, Jupiter, the moon, and possibly Saturn are visible without optical aid. Uranus appears after twilight ends, but the bright moonlight interferes.

Planets in West

Venus, Mercury, and Saturn, February 24, 2026
Chart Caption – 2026, February 24: At 45 minutes after sunset, Venus, Mercury, and Saturn are in the western sky. Venus is best 15 minutes earlier.

Begin about 30 minutes after sunset. Venus, Mercury, and Saturn are in the western sky, but only Venus is easily visible at that time. Find a clear western horizon from a hilltop or a high floor in a building. Take along a binocular.

Looking westward, brilliant Venus shines through the bright twilight nearly 5° above the horizon.

Fifteen minutes later, look for Mercury 5.7° to Venus’ upper right. The Elusive Planet is retreating into brighter twilight and fading in brightness about 20% each night. It fits into the same binocular field as Venus. Its visibility without optical assistance is marginal.

Saturn is heading toward conjunction with the sun next month. It stands nearly 15° high in the west-southwest. It is dimmer than Mercury but higher in the evening light. Without a binocular, its visibility is questionable.

Dim Neptune appears near Saturn, but its visibility window closed several days ago, even with optical aid.

Moon and Taurus

Moon and Taurus, February 24, 2026
Chart Caption – 2026, February 24: During evening twilight, the moon is high in the south with Taurus, near Aldebaran and Elnath.

At 45 minutes after sunset, the 56%-illuminated moon is high in the southern sky with Taurus. It is nearly 11° above Aldebaran, the Bull’s brightest star, and about 10° to the right of Elnath, one of the Bull’s horns.

Uranus: Binocular View

Binocular View: Uranus in the same field of view with the Pleiades
Chart Caption – 2026, Late February: Through a binocular Uranus is in the same field of view with the Pleiades star cluster, near 13 and 14 Tauri (Tau).

Uranus is near the Pleiades star cluster. Use a binocular to see it near the stars 13 and 14 Tauri (Tau). With the moon waxing, look before the sky grows too bright. Moonlight may already overwhelm the view.

Jupiter and Gemini

Jupiter with Gemini, February 24, 2026
Chart Caption – 2026, February 24: During the early evening, Jupiter is that bright star high in the east-southeast, near the Gemini Twins, Castor and Pollux.

The bright star in the east-southeast, over 30° to the moon’s lower left, is Jupiter. It looks stellar to the unaided eye, but its cloud bands and four largest moons are visible through a telescope. A steady binocular can reveal the moons as bright points near the planet.

Jupiter retrogrades in front of Gemini near Castor and Pollux. This apparent westward motion ends March 10.

Planets Set

During the night, the western planets set quickly. Saturn sets a little over two hours after sunset. The moon sets about seven hours after Saturn, after midnight. Jupiter is high in the southern sky three hours after sunset; afterward it descends toward the west-northwest horizon, setting about two hours before sunrise.

To see the maximum number of planets, look before the widely promoted February 28 date.

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