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Sky Digest

Sunday, 1 March 2026 | Default Location
Showing the sky from Greenwich, London. Log in to use your own location.
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Tonight at a Glance

Waxing Gibbous 97%
Dark window: 18:47 – 05:12 (10 h 24 m)

Bright moon tonight — deep-sky viewing will be limited

Aurora Forecast — Very unlikely

Kp 4.7 / need 7 Bz -3.3 nT

Geomagnetic activity far below the Kp 7 needed at your latitude.

View full forecast

Planet Highlights

Jupiter mag -2.5 · 61° alt · Gemini Details
GRS transit tonight:
Ganymede Transit ends
Io Occultation begins
Io Occultation ends

Comets

MAPS mag 8.7 · 0° alt · Cetus Details
bright 1.58 AU Perihelion: Apr 4 (in 12d)

For Beginners (naked eye)

M44
Beehive Cluster or Praesepe Open Cluster
mag 3.7

At 21:00 look high in the southeast

Cancer
NGC 2232
Open Cluster
mag 3.9

At 21:00 look halfway up in the south

Mon
Hyades
Open Cluster
mag 0.5

At 21:00 look halfway up in the southwest

Taurus

Binocular Targets

R Leo
Variable Star
mag 6.0

At 21:00 look halfway up in the southeast

Leo
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

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
Blue Snowball
NGC 7662 Planetary Nebula
mag 9.0

At 21:00 look low in the northwest

And
M81
Bode's Galaxy Galaxy
mag 6.9

At 21:00 look high in the northeast

Ursa Major
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
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
T Tau
Variable Star
mag 9.3

At 21:00 look halfway up in the west

Tau

The Week Ahead

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
🌔 97% 🌕 100% 🌕 100% 🌕 98% 🌖 94% 🌖 89% 🌖 82%
Full Moon Ursa Major Best Placed

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

The Moon During a Total Lunar Eclipse

How does the Moon's appearance change during a total lunar eclipse? The featured time-lapse video was digitally processed to keep the Moon bright and centered during the 5-hour eclipse of 2018 January 31. At first the full moon is visible because only a full moon can undergo a lunar eclipse. Stars move by in the background because the Moon orbits the Earth during the eclipse. The circular shadow of the Earth is then seen moving across the Moon. The light blue hue of the shadow's edge is related to why Earth's sky is blue, while the deep red hue of the shadow's center is related to why the Sun appears red when near the horizon. Tomorrow night, people living in Eastern Asia, Australia, and much of North America may get to see a Total Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse. Here the term blood refers to the (likely) red color of a fully eclipsed Moon. Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator

APOD is a service of NASA and Michigan Tech. U.

View on NASA APOD

Space News

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NASA used advanced simulations to optimize launch conditions for Artemis II, the first crewed lunar test flight, demonstrating critical preparations for the mission.

NASA — 20 Mar 2026

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

NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft completed its second test flight, advancing toward dozens of planned flights in 2026 to validate low-boom technology.

NASA — 20 Mar 2026

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

More than a dozen NASA missions observed the rare interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS before it leaves the solar system, with data now available in public archives for future research.

NASA — 20 Mar 2026

Meet the Platypi: NASA’s Newest Astronaut Candidate Class

NASA's newest astronaut candidate class, the 'Platypi,' is training at Johnson Space Center for future missions to the ISS, Moon, and Mars.

NASA — 19 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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