Sky Digest
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Tonight at a Glance
Bright moon tonight — deep-sky viewing will be limited
Aurora Forecast — Very unlikely
Geomagnetic activity far below the Kp 7 needed at your latitude.
View full forecastPlanet Highlights
Comets
For Beginners (naked eye)
Binocular Targets
Small Scopes (3–6 inch)
Big Scopes (8–12 inch)
The Week Ahead
| Sat | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri |
| 🌔 92% | 🌔 97% | 🌕 100% | 🌕 100% | 🌕 98% | 🌖 94% | 🌖 89% |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Full Moon | Ursa Major Best Placed |
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
Lunar Occultation of Mercury
Fans of the western sky after sunset have lately enjoyed this month's remarkable array of bright planets. Witnessed from some locations, on February 18 planet Mercury even appeared to slide behind the Moon, an event known as a lunar occultation. These two snapshots, taken in early evening skies show before and after telescopic views of the rare disappearance of innermost planet behind young Moon. The top panel finds bright Mercury just visible at the northern (right) edge of the earthshine-illuminated lunar disk. In the bottom panel the bright planet has emerged in darker skies beyond the Moon's sunlit crescent. As seen south of Sallisaw, Oklahoma, planet Earth, this lunar occultation of Mercury lasted only about 3 minutes (video). But you can still check out a parade of planets tonight. March 3: Total Lunar Eclipse
Image credit: Fabrizio Melandri — APOD is a service of NASA and Michigan Tech. U.
View on NASA APODSpace News
NASA's X-59 experimental supersonic aircraft completed its second flight, initiating a series of dozens of test flights planned for 2026 to advance quiet supersonic flight technology.
NASA — 20 Mar 2026
Artemis II rocket completed its second rollout to the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center, marking a major milestone in preparations for NASA's crewed lunar mission.
ESA — 20 Mar 2026
NASA used advanced simulations to optimize launch conditions for Artemis II, studying how airflow around rockets impacts the test flight around the Moon.
NASA — 20 Mar 2026
More than a dozen NASA science missions observed the rare interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS before it leaves our solar system, with observations being archived in NASA's public data for future research.
NASA — 20 Mar 2026
NASA astronaut Chris Williams conducted a spacesuit fit verification aboard the International Space Station, ensuring proper functionality and comfort for future spacewalks.
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.
Open Kepler's Laws
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