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Sky Digest

Tuesday, 17 February 2026 | Default Location
Showing the sky from Greenwich, London. Log in to use your own location.
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Tonight at a Glance

New Moon 0%
Dark window: 18:24 – 05:35 (11 h 10 m)

Planet Highlights

Jupiter mag -2.6 · 61° alt · Gemini Details
GRS transit tonight:
Europa Shadow transit begins
Europa Transit begins
Europa Shadow transit ends
Europa Transit ends
+2 more — Details

For Beginners (naked eye)

M41
Little Beehive Cluster Open Cluster
mag 4.5

At 21:00 look low in the south

Canis Major
M42
Great Orion Nebula Nebula
mag 4.0

At 21:00 look halfway up in the south

Orion
M31
Andromeda Galaxy Galaxy
mag 3.4

At 21:00 look halfway up in the northwest

Andromeda

Binocular Targets

U Ori
Variable Star
mag 5.4

At 21:00 look high in the southwest

Ori
M48
NGC 2548 Open Cluster
mag 5.5

At 21:00 look halfway up in the southeast

Hydra
M81
Bode's Galaxy Galaxy
mag 6.9

At 21:00 look high in the northeast

Ursa Major

Small Scopes (3–6 inch)

Castor
HIP 36850; Alpha Gem; 66 Gem Double Star
mag 2.0

At 21:00 look high in the southeast

Gem
NGC 2252
Open Cluster
mag 8.0

At 21:00 look halfway up in the south

Mon
Eskimo Nebula
NGC 2392 Planetary Nebula
mag 9.2

At 21:00 look high in the south

Gemini
C7
NGC 2403 Galaxy
mag 8.4

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Camelopardalis
Beta Mon
HIP 30867; Beta Mon; 11 Mon Double Star
mag 4.6

At 21:00 look halfway up in the south

Mon

Big Scopes (8–12 inch)

NGC 2259
Open Cluster
mag 11.0

At 21:00 look high in the south

Mon
NGC 2440
Planetary Nebula
mag 11.0

At 21:00 look low in the south

Pup
NGC 2146
Galaxy
mag 10.5

At 21:00 look high in the north

Cam
NGC 2336
Galaxy
mag 10.5

At 21:00 look high in the north

Cam
NGC 2207
Galaxy
mag 10.7

At 21:00 look low in the south

CMa

The Week Ahead

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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

Tails of Comet Wierzchoś

Some comets are regular guests of our solar neighborhood; others come by only once, never to return. We won’t have another chance to see Comet C/2024 E1 (Wierzchoś), which is currently making its way through the inner Solar System. The hyperbolic orbit of this comet indicates that it will likely become an interstellar traveler. Comet Wierzchoś is today near its closest approach to the Earth, passing roughly the same distance from the Earth as is the Sun. The featured 30-minute exposure was taken last week in Chile and shows a 5-degree long ion tail as well as three shorter dust tails. The green hue of the coma comes from the breakdown of dicarbon molecules by sunlight, but that process does not last long enough to also tinge the tails. On the far right lies a spiral galaxy far in the distance: NGC 300.

Image credit: José J. Chambó; Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II) — APOD is a service of NASA and Michigan Tech. U.

View on NASA APOD

Space News

NASA Webb, Hubble Share Most Comprehensive View of Saturn to Date

NASA's James Webb and Hubble Space Telescopes have partnered to provide the most comprehensive view of Saturn to date, observing in complementary wavelengths to reveal new insights about the planet's atmosphere and rings.

NASA — 25 Mar 2026

NASA-JAXA’s XRISM Telescope Clocks Hot Wind of Galaxy M82

The NASA-JAXA XRISM telescope has directly measured the speed of superheated gas from the galaxy M82 for the first time, advancing understanding of galactic winds and stellar activity.

NASA — 25 Mar 2026

Artemis II rolls again

The Artemis II rocket has completed its second rollout to the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center, marking progress toward the crewed lunar mission.

ESA — 20 Mar 2026

Meet the Platypi: NASA’s Newest Astronaut Candidate Class

NASA's newest astronaut candidate class of ten explorers, selected in 2025 and currently training at Johnson Space Center, are preparing for future missions to the ISS and Moon.

NASA — 19 Mar 2026

Explore the Three-Body Problem

Simulate chaotic gravitational dynamics with preset scenarios: circumbinary planets, Lagrange points, and the famous Figure-8 choreography. Switch between inertial and co-rotating frames.

Explore the Three-Body Problem Open Three-Body

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