| |   This week's night sky is alight with planetary pileups, stellar sights, and what will no doubt be a spectacular annular solar eclipse over Antarctica — which will be seen by more penguins than it will humans. First, we turn our eyes to a stealthy planetary rendezvous, as Saturn glides silently through the western sky with Neptune lurking nearby, too dim to spot with the unaided eye. Then, on Feb. 17, Earth's natural satellite reaches its new moon phase, when it will slip across the face of our star, triggering a dramatic eclipse that will see a "ring of fire" appear over a swathe of Antarctica. Later in the week, the moon reappears with Earthshine bathing its unlit surface with a soft light, as four solar system planets make a brief appearance alongside it in the winter sky.
Elsewhere, we highlight Ronald Brecher's spectacular image of the Rosette Nebula, take you through the timings for the Feb. 17 solar eclipse, look at the 10 best places to see the 'blood moon' total lunar eclipse on March 3 and more! Here's what to watch for this week. Clear skies,
Anthony Wood
Sky Watching Writer, Space.com | |  | | (Starry Night/Chris Vaughan) | Turn your eyes west at sunset to find the steady light of Saturn glowing close to the horizon among the stars of the constellation Pisces. Neptune will lurk roughly 1 degree — approximately the width of your little finger held at arm's length — to the upper right of Saturn. Neptune will be too dim to spot with the naked eye, but can be found with binoculars, appearing as a tiny star-like point of light from a dark sky location. | |  | | (Starry Night/Chris Vaughan) | This month's new moon phase will create a spectacular "ring of fire" annular solar eclipse across a remote swathe of Antarctica, as the lunar disk passes directly in front of the sun while at a distant point in its orbit, blocking the vast bulk of its surface while leaving its outer rim on show. The full eclipse will be visible to the few humans crewing research stations in the path of annularity, but millions of others in southern hemisphere countries, including Argentina, Chile, and Madagascar, will be treated to a lesser partial eclipse. | |  | | (Starry Night/Chris Vaughan) | A razor-thin waxing crescent moon will make a brief appearance low on the western horizon at sunset on Feb. 18, glowing close to the inner planet Mercury as Venus shines below, fighting for visibility in the smothering light of our parent star. | |  | | (Starry Night/Chris Vaughan) | Mercury reaches its greatest separation from the sun in its current evening apparition on Feb. 19, when the fleet-footed inner planet will appear 18 degrees east of our parent star. It's an excellent opportunity to spot the rocky world as it glows above the western horizon at sunset for stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere. | |  | | (Starry Night/Chris Vaughan) | Look to the west after sunset to find the delicate form of the waxing crescent moon shining with the gas giant Saturn close to its left as Mercury and Venus line up below. Neptune will also be present, between the moon and Saturn, too faint to spot with the naked eye. Look out for the subtle glow of "Earthshine" infusing the unlit expanse of the lunar disk, as sunlight bounces off Earth to strike the moon's surface, bathing it in a diffuse light. | |  | | (Starry Night/Chris Vaughan) | Find the three bright stars of Orion's Belt — Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka — casting their ancient light into Earth's winter sky on Feb. 21, as they separate red Betelgeuse and blue Rigel above the southern horizon. | | | Earth's satellite will reach its new moon phase at 7:01 a.m. EST (1201 GMT) on Feb. 17, when it will be positioned between our planet and the sun, setting the stage for a jaw-dropping annular solar eclipse, which will unfold across a remote corridor of Antarctica.
Annular eclipses occur while the moon is in a remote part of its orbit, and so it appears fractionally smaller in Earth's sky. As a result, it's unable to fully block out the sun during an eclipse, instead leaving our star's outer disk visible as a burning halo silhouetting the lunar disk.
Want to know more? Check out our explained article detailing everything you need to know about the Feb. 17 solar eclipse and our guide detailing what will happen during each phase of the orbital dance. | | | | A meteor triggered a flurry of fireball sightings on Feb. 10 | | | | A 'ring of fire' eclipse is coming to Antarctica on Feb. 17. | | | | From dark-sky parks to remote deserts, these locations offer prime views of the March 3, 2026, blood moon. | | | Astrohotographer Ronald Brecher shared a gorgeous view of the Rosetta Nebula appearing as a solitary rose in the depths of space. The center of the vast nebula has been hollowed out by the radiation pouring out from energetic young stars, while dense filaments of hydrogen gas can be found threaded throughout the cosmic scene, blocking the light of the stars beyond. | | | | Astronomy Kit and Accessories | | | These are the best telescopes for stargazing, with top models from Celestron, Unistellar and ZWO. One of these will get you a close-up view of the Blood Moon during the total lunar eclipse on March 3. | | | Whether you're a beginner or a pro, get ready to save big money on cameras. We've rounded up the best camera deals, from big names like Sony, Canon and Nikon, ready to save you hundreds. | | | | Stay up-to-date on all things space science, news, and entertainment by subscribing to our newsletters. | |  | |  | Follow Night Sky This Week |  |  |  |  | | | | | Future US LLC © | | Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036. | | | |
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