The night sky is full of wonder. Here's what to look out for tonight.
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Find out what you can see in the night sky for tonight, from planets and stars to dazzling meteor showers. (Image credit: © Created in Canva by Daisy Dobrijevic) There is so much to see in the night sky tonight, here's what you can look forward to.
A good telescope or pair of binoculars will help you see some of the night sky’s fainter objects. However, the unaided eye is enough to learn its stars and constellations, watch the moon, experience meteor showers and see satellites whizz across the night sky.
Read on to find out what you can see in the night sky tonight, from planetary meet-ups to the ever-changing moon phases, meteor showers and more. Want to look even further ahead? Check out our monthly night sky guide our brightest planets guide also tells you what planets are visible and when this month.
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Get notified of updates 2026-02-25T10:57:02.554Z Wednesday, Feb. 25: Moon in the bull’s horns (after dark)
The waxing gibbous moon travels through the constellation Taurus, the bull, high in the southern sky tonight, posing between the bright stars Elnath (translation: "the butting one") and Zeta Tauri, which mark the tips of the horns of the celestial animal.
It will be roughly halfway between bright planet Jupiter, still blazing away at magnitude -2.4, and the Pleiades star cluster (M45). Look below the line from the Pleiades to the moon for the red star Aldebaran, the eye of the bull, itself set against a loose "V" shape of stars called the Hyades, one of the closest star clusters to the solar system at just 151 light-years. For comparison, the Pleiades is 444 light-years distant. — Jamie Carter
Tuesday, Feb. 24: First-quarter perigee moon (after dark)
The moon reaches its first quarter at 2:28 a.m. EST (0728 GMT) today and by evening it stands high in the southern sky, with its right side fully lit by the sun. Along the terminator — the dividing line between lunar day and night — sunlight casts long shadows from crater rims and mountain ranges, giving the moon's edge a ragged look. Later in the day, the moon also passes perigee, its closest point to Earth this month. That makes it a slightly larger and brighter first-quarter moon than it is typical. — Jamie Carter
Monday, Feb. 23: Moon visits the Pleiades (after dark)
This evening, the nearly first-quarter moon pays a close visit to the Pleiades star cluster (also called M45) in Taurus.
As darkness falls, look high in the south. You'll see the bright half-lit moon with a small, hazy patch of light nearby — that's the Pleiades. As it gets dark in North America, there will be barely more than a degree apart — the width of a thumb held outstretched against the night sky. The moon's glare will wash out the fainter stars, but the main "mini-dipper" pattern of the Pleiades should still be visible. — Jamie Carter
Night sky for tonight and the weekend
Friday, Feb. 20: Mercury at its evening best (after sunset)
If you've never knowingly seen Mercury, tonight is an excellent opportunity. Around 45-60 minutes after sunset, face west-southwest and look for the moon — a slender crescent now about 14%-illuminated. Now drop your gaze down and slightly right to find Saturn, then Mercury.
The innermost planet reaches its highest altitude in its current evening apparition this weekend, soon after passing the point of greatest elongation east — when the rocky world is at its greatest apparent distance from the sun — on Feb. 19. An unobstructed horizon is key — as are clear air and clear skies — but there's something particularly satisfying about picking out a world that spends most of its life lost in the sun's glare. — Jamie Carter
Saturday, Feb. 21: Winter constellations under a young moon (after dark)
The now 22%-illuminated waxing crescent moon is gone from the night sky about 3 hours after dark, leaving much of the night free of moonlight. Use it to revisit the winter showpieces: Orion riding high in the south, with Sirius and Canis Major below, Procyon to the left and Aldebaran and Taurus to the right. Jupiter still gleams high in Gemini. Once the moon sets, step away from city lights if you can and let your eyes adapt for 20 minutes; under dark conditions, you'll see the Milky Way threading between these constellations as a soft, luminous band. — Jamie Carter
Sunday, Feb. 22: The winter triangle takes flight (after dark)
Shortly after nightfall, the Winter Triangle is perfectly placed. Find Orion in the south, then follow the thre stars of his famous belt down and left to Sirius in Canis Major — the brightest star in the night sky. Now, look up and left to Procyon in Canis Minor, and then up and right to reddish Betelgeuse in Orion's shoulder. Those three stars form a large, almost equilateral triangle. Above Procyon is bright Jupiter, which threatens to make the Winter Triangle more of a Winter Kite shape this year. Tonight, a 32% waxing crescent moon glows in the west, but it sets midway through the evening. — Jamie Carter
Thursday, Feb. 19: Crescent moon and a ‘planet parade’ (after sunset)
Dusk this evening features a subtle planetary tableau. Look above the west-southwestern horizon about 45-90 minutes after sunset. A 10%-illuminated waxing crescent moon hangs in twilight, with Saturn about 3 degrees to its lower left. Below them, Mercury is at greatest eastern elongation from the sun — about 18 degrees, or approximately close to the width of two clenched fists held at arm's length — and near its highest altitude in the evening sky for this apparition. From mid-northern latitudes, it stands roughly 10 degrees above the horizon 45 minutes after sunset, a small but bright point below the moon-Saturn pair. If you're quick, you may also catch Venus below them, close to the horizon. — Jamie Carter
