This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, February 20, 2026
Information updated weekly or as needed.
Times given as local St. Louis time this week will be in Central Standard Time (CST). For definitions of terminology used in the night sky update, click the highlighted text. If relying on times posted in Universal Time (UT), St. Louis is -6 hours when CST. Times posted in the Night Sky Update are in the 24-hour format.
Join us for our next star party, Friday, March 6, 2026, held in association with the St. Louis Astronomical Society. For details, see the information at the bottom of this page or visit https://www.slsc.org/explore/mcdonnell-planetarium/public-telescope-viewings/
Observing Highlight
This year there are two lunar eclipses visible from North America. The first is a total lunar eclipse occurring on March 3, 2026. The second eclipse is a deep partial eclipse occurring on August 28, 2026. Visibility of these eclipses will vary depending on your location. The lunar eclipse in March this year favors the western half of the continent while the eclipse in August favors the eastern half. For those of you viewing from the St. Louis region, we will see roughly half of the eclipse in March and the entire eclipse in August.
If you have never seen a lunar eclipse, they are long events that occur over hours. Lunar and solar eclipses occur when three solar system bodies align in a straight-line configuration called a syzygy. In the case of lunar and solar eclipses, the three objects involved are the Sun, Earth and Moon, the order of which determines the type of eclipse. For an eclipse to occur, the Moon must be at its new or full phase. If it is new moon, a solar eclipse is possible and if at full moon, a lunar eclipse is possible. Even though both phases typically occur once a month, the Moon’s orbit is tilted about 5.1° to Earth ecliptic which is why most new and full moons to don’t produce the require syzygy.
During a lunar eclipse the Moon will slowly pass through Earth’s shadow. First through its penumbra and then through its umbra if the alignment allows. Sometimes we will only see part of the Moon pass through Earth’s umbra producing a partial eclipse. On March 3, 2026, we will see the Moon pass entirely into Earth’s umbra producing a total lunar eclipse.
The eclipse on March 3, 2026, will last a little over 5.5 hours running from 08:44 to 14:23 UTC. Converting for St. Louis time, that would be 02:44 to 08:23 CST. Unfortunately, the Moon sets around 06:32 CST limiting how much of the eclipse we can observe. The good news is totality begins at 05:02 when the Moon will still be about 14° above the western horizon. From St. Louis we will see around 3.5 hours of the eclipse which begins at 02:44 CST ending as the Moon sets around 06:30 CST. The partial eclipse begins at 03:50 CST and totality begins at 05:04 CST.
If your western view is obscured by trees you will want to find a place with a clear view to the west. Being that it will still be winter, dress for temperatures about 20° colder than it is. Astronomy is a hobby where you are mostly stationary. You will quickly become cold if you do not prepare for cold temperatures. If early morning views are not something you are comfortable with, there is another eclipse in August that occurs partially in evening hours. Learn more about the 2026 lunar eclipses at the links below.
March 3, 2026, Total Lunar Eclipse
August 27/28, 2026, Partial Lunar Eclipse
T CrB Nova Update 2/20/2026
If you are still interested in seeing the recurrent nova T Coronae Borealis, there is still hope. The nova has not yet occurred meaning we are in a waiting game. If you are still interested in this event, the part of the sky the nova will appear in is found in the east before sunrise. You can find the constellation Corona Borealis rising in the east by 11 pm. By midnight the location of T CrB will be roughly 20° above the eastern horizon. If you don’t fancy waking up early to check on T CrB you can follow recent observations posted on the AAVSO website. You can find that here. Current magnitude estimates of the system show it at 10th magnitude.
The Sun and Moon
Sun
Sunrise on Friday, February 20 is at 06:45 and sunset is at 17:44 providing about 11 hours of daylight at the start of the week. Even after sunset, light from the Sun will dimly illuminate our sky for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. This period is called twilight, which ends around 19:13 this week. For those with a sundial, local noon occurs around 12:14 on February 20, 2026.
| Day | Sunrise (CST) | Sunset (CST) |
| 20-Feb | 6:45 | 17:44 |
| 21-Feb | 6:44 | 17:45 |
| 22-Feb | 6:42 | 17:46 |
| 23-Feb | 6:41 | 17:47 |
| 24-Feb | 6:40 | 17:49 |
| 25-Feb | 6:38 | 17:50 |
| 26-Feb | 6:37 | 17:51 |
| 27-Feb | 6:36 | 17:52 |
| 28-Feb | 6:34 | 17:53 |
Moon
Moonrise for Friday, February 20, is at 08:13 and moonset occurs at 21:32. On February 20, 2026, the Moon will exhibit a waxing crescent phase with 14% disk illumination. By February 28, 2026, the Moon will exhibit a waxing gibbous phase with 98% disk illumination. First quarter moon occurs on February 24, 2026, at 06:28.
International Space Station (ISS) Observing
Visible passes of ISS from St. Louis for the week of February 20 occur during morning hours. If viewing from St. Louis Missouri, the best passes of ISS occur on February 26 and 27. You can find information about these and other satellite pass at https://heavens-above.com. If you are not viewing from the St. Louis area, make sure to change your viewing location for your local times.
Visible Planets
View looking west on February 20, 2026, at 18:15. Image created using Stellarium.
View looking southwest on February 20,2026, at 19:15. Image created using Stellarium
Three naked eye planets will be visible this week. Jupiter will be found high in the east after sunset. Saturn and Mercury will be found low in the west after sunset.
Mercury
At the start of this week, Mercury remains visible for a short time in the west after sunset. Look for the elusive planet about 30 minutes after sunset. On February 20, Mercury will appear about 10° above the horizon once it is dark enough to see. As the week progresses, Mercury will appear lower to the horizon each night becoming harder to find. Mercury reaches inferior conjunction on March 7, 2026.
Jupiter
Jupiter will be visible in the east about 30 minutes after sunset, By 7 pm, it can be found nearly overhead north of the constellation Orion. Jupiter remains visible until 3 am at which time its low altitude will make it difficult to find for some viewers. Jupiter sets around 04:25. Jupiter’s current apparition continues through June and some of July as it heads towards superior conjunction on July 29, 2026.
Saturn
Saturn is found in the west about 30 minutes after sunset and sets a little before 8 pm this week. Saturn reaches superior conjunction on March 25, 2026. The current apparition of Saturn is coming to an end. As we get into March, Saturn will become increasingly difficult to find as it appears closer to the Sun each day.
Uranus
Around 7 pm this week, the planet Uranus will be found high overhead in the west. Its current magnitude is 5.7 putting it within naked eye visibility only from dark locations. In reality, most will need to use binoculars to have a chance to spot this distant world. You can find Uranus in the constellation Taurus about 4° south of the Pleiades star cluster. Uranus will be near the stars 13 Tau and 14 Tau.
Our next Star Party will be held on Friday, March 6, 2026, from 5:30 pm until 8:30 pm.
On the first Friday of each month, the St. Louis Astronomical Society and the Saint Louis Science Center will set up a number of telescopes outdoors and be on hand to answer your questions. Telescope viewing begins once it is dark.
The St. Louis Astronomical Society helps host the monthly Star Parties at the Saint Louis Science Center. In addition to our nighttime viewings, they also help facilitate our daytime event called Solar Sundays. These daytime viewing sessions occur every Sunday through Labor Day. After Labor Day they occur on the 3rd Sunday each month. Visit SLAS’s website linked above to learn about other telescope events SLAS hosts around the St. Louis area.
James S. McDonnell Planetarium
Night Sky Update for February 20, 2026
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