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Sky Digest

Tuesday, 24 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

First Quarter 54%
Dark window: 18:38 – 05:21 (10 h 43 m)

Bright moon tonight — best deep-sky viewing after moonset (03:13)

Planet Highlights

Jupiter mag -2.5 · 61° alt · Gemini Details
GRS transit tonight:
Europa Shadow transit begins
Europa Transit begins
Europa Shadow transit ends

Comets

MAPS mag 8.7 · 3° alt · Cetus Details
bright 1.57 AU Perihelion: Apr 4 (in 12d)

For Beginners (naked eye)

M47
NGC 2422 Open Cluster
mag 4.4

At 21:00 look low in the south

Puppis
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 south

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 near the zenith

Gem
C58
NGC 2360 Open Cluster
mag 7.2

At 21:00 look low in the south

Canis Major
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
HIP 35210
Double Star
mag 4.8

At 21:00 look low in the south

CMa

Big Scopes (8–12 inch)

Z Cam
Variable Star
mag 10.0

At 21:00 look high in the north

Cam
NGC 2304
Open Cluster
mag 10.0

At 21:00 look high in the south

Gem
NGC 2438
Planetary Nebula
mag 10.0

At 21:00 look low in the south

Pup
M66
Leo Triplet Galaxy
mag 8.9

At 21:00 look halfway up in the east

Leo
M97
Owl Nebula Planetary Nebula
mag 9.9

At 21:00 look high in the northeast

Ursa Major

The Week Ahead

Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon
🌔 54% 🌔 65% 🌔 75% 🌔 84% 🌔 92% 🌔 97% 🌕 100%
Moon occults Kappa Gem

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

Planet Parade over Sydney Opera House

Look up this week and see a whole bunch of planets. Just after sunset, looking west (mostly), planets Mercury, Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter will all be visible to the unaided eye simultaneously. If you have a telescope, planets Uranus and Neptune can also be seen. In order up from the horizon, the lineup this week will be Venus (the brightest), Mercury, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, and Jupiter (second brightest). It doesn't matter where on Earth you live because this early evening planet parade will be visible through clear skies all around the globe. The planets will appear to be nearly in a line because they all orbit the Sun in nearly the same plane: the ecliptic. The featured image shows a similar planet parade that occurred in 2022, captured over the Sydney Opera House in southern Australia. Although visible all week, the planets will be most easily seen together this weekend.

Image credit: Prasun Agrawal — APOD is a service of NASA and Michigan Tech. U.

View on NASA APOD

Space News

NASA’s X-59 Experimental Supersonic Aircraft Makes Second Flight

NASA's X-59 experimental supersonic aircraft completed its second flight, marking the start of dozens of test flights planned for 2026 to validate quiet supersonic flight technology.

NASA — 20 Mar 2026

How Open NASA Data on Comet 3I/ATLAS Will Power Tomorrow’s Discoveries

More than a dozen NASA science missions observed the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, only the third identified interstellar object, with observations now archived in NASA's public data system for future research.

NASA — 20 Mar 2026

Artemis II rolls again

Artemis II rocket returned to its launchpad at Kennedy Space Center after rollout, advancing preparations for the first crewed lunar mission under the Artemis program.

ESA — 20 Mar 2026

NASA Simulations Improve Artemis II Launch Environment

NASA used advanced simulations to optimize launch conditions for Artemis II by analyzing airflow effects on the rocket during ascent to space.

NASA — 20 Mar 2026

Kepler's Laws Come Alive

Drag velocity vectors to reshape orbits, watch equal areas sweep in equal times, and discover why distant planets orbit slower — all three laws animated in real time.

Kepler's Laws Come Alive Open Kepler's Laws

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