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Sky Digest

Wednesday, 18 February 2026 | Default Location
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Tonight at a Glance

Waxing Crescent 2%
Dark window: 18:26 – 05:33 (11 h 6 m)

Planet Highlights

Jupiter mag -2.6 · 61° alt · Gemini Details
GRS transit tonight:
Ganymede Occultation begins
Ganymede Occultation ends

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 southwest

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

Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue
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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

Orion's Cradle

Cradled in red-glowing hydrogen gas, stars are being born in Orion. These stellar nurseries lie at the edge of the giant Orion molecular cloud complex, some 1,500 light-years away. This detailed view spans about 12 degrees across the center of the well-known constellation, with the Great Orion Nebula, the closest large star-forming region, visible toward the lower right. The deep mosaic also includes, near the top center, the Flame Nebula and the Horsehead Nebula. Image data acquired with a hydrogen-alpha filter adds other remarkable features to this wide-angle cosmic vista: pervasive tendrils of energized atomic hydrogen gas and portions of the surrounding Barnard's Loop. While the Orion Nebula and many stars in Orion are easy to see with the unaided eye, emission from the extensive interstellar gas is faint and much harder to record, even in telescopic views of the nebula-rich complex. Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (after 1995)

Image credit: Piotr Czerski — APOD is a service of NASA and Michigan Tech. U.

View on NASA APOD

Space News

NASA X-Ray Mission Gets Fresh Look at 2,000-Year-Old Supernova

NASA's IXPE mission captured new observations of the 2,000-year-old supernova RCW 86, providing complementary X-ray data that enhances understanding of this ancient cosmic explosion.

NASA — 24 Mar 2026

Artemis II rolls again

Artemis II rocket completed its second rollout to the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center, marking continued progress toward NASA's crewed lunar mission.

ESA — 20 Mar 2026

Smiles and Spacesuits

NASA astronaut Chris Williams completed spacesuit fit verification on the ISS, demonstrating ongoing preparations for upcoming spacewalks and extravehicular activities.

NASA — 20 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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