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Best Astrophotography Dates in February 2026: Night Sky Calendar

Ryan Oswald
6 days ago
2 min read

What to shoot in the night sky in February 2026

New moon is February 17 which makes February 14 to 22 the prime deep sky run. A ring of fire annular eclipse also occurs on February 17 in Antarctica only. There are no major meteor showers this month in the Northern Hemisphere so expect sporadics. Watch for zodiacal light after dusk late in the month.

Top Astrophotography Nights — February 2026

Prime: February 14 to 22
Good: February 12 to 13, February 23 to 25
Skip: February 1 to 11 and February 26 to 28

Milky Way core: a brief predawn window returns late in the month low in the southeast about 60 to 90 minutes before twilight. If you want an early season band or core look, try February 22 to 24.

Meteor Showers

There are no major Northern Hemisphere showers in February. Alpha Centaurids peak early in the month but are far south and not practical at mid northern latitudes.

Moon Phases — February 2026

🌕

FULL MOON

FEBRUARY 1

Peak night: Sunday, February 1
Best time to shoot: after moonrise on February 1 with a telephoto foreground
Direction: rising east and setting west

🌑

NEW MOON

FEBRUARY 17

Days You Can Shoot the Milky Way Core in February

Milky Way core: predawn only late month, very short window

Deep sky windows:
- Green: February 14 to 22
- Yellow: February 12 to 13 and February 23 to 25
- Red: February 1 to 11 and February 26 to 28

Notes

• Deep sky window: roughly astronomical dark about 6:55 to 7:10 PM to about 5:30 AM

• Where to look: evening west to northwest for Andromeda and Triangulum fading, east to southeast for Pleiades and the California Nebula and Auriga. After midnight look southeast to south for Orion and Horsehead and Flame.

Planets

Jupiter: still bright and high in the evening after the January 10 opposition.
Mercury: greatest evening elongation on February 19 (best evening apparition of 2026 for the Northern Hemisphere; good all month’s 2nd half)
Saturn and Neptune: conjunction on February 20. It’ll be very low in twilight and primarily a binocular/telephoto challenge.
Specials: annular eclipse on February 17 in Antarctica not visible in North America.

Tips and Guides

Zodiacal light late February: shoot west to west southwest 60 to 90 minutes after sunset. Try a 50 mm lens at f/1.8 to f/2.8 for 5 to 10 seconds at ISO 3200 to 6400.
First look Milky Way February 22 to 24: pick a clean southeast horizon and keep exposures short untracked 5 to 10 seconds at 24 to 35 mm to prevent trailing before twilight.
Deep sky sequence during the new moon week: early evening M31 and M33 then Pleiades and California then after midnight Orion Complex with Horsehead and Flame.