Many stargazers will be observing the evening sky this week in hopes of catching an alignment of six planets.

As of late February 2026, six planets are on the horizon at the same time: Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

However, this does not make it easy to confirm the planetary alignment.

Although Mercury, Venus, and Saturn are technically visible to the naked eye, they are low in the western sky at sunset and are swallowed up by the glare of the setting sun.

You should also be careful, as not only is it difficult to see the sunset, but accidentally looking at the sun can damage your eyesight.

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Neptune currently shares the same part of the sky as Mercury, Venus, and Saturn, and viewing Neptune from Earth always requires a telescope.

Given its proximity to the setting Sun, we strongly recommend that you do not attempt to observe Neptune through a telescope at this time, as observing the Sun through a telescope without a filter can seriously damage your vision.

The image below, taken by James M from Kent, UK, just after sunset on February 22, 2026 at 18:30 local time, shows how difficult it is to find Mercury and Venus.

Mercury is low in the sky, and Venus is even lower. It was below the horizon when James took the photo.

“I had hoped to see Venus, but by the time the sky darkened I was too low to see Mercury and Saturn,” he says.

If you’re looking for an easy naked-eye stargazing event this week, or an event involving the brightest planet in the alignment, follow the moon instead.

You’ll be able to watch the moon fly across the sky night after night, visiting some of the best and easiest celestial objects you can currently see along the way.

Here’s a look at this week’s moon-hopping spectacle and what you can expect to see there.

Monday, February 23rd – Moon and Pleiades

Tonight, there is a large crescent moon in the night sky near the Pleiades star cluster.

of Pleiades star cluster is a beautiful blue star cluster that looks like “dirt” in the sky to the naked eye.

Binoculars make it easy to see individual stars and bright blue nebulae.

The crescent moon and the Pleiades star cluster will be in the southwest as the sun sets, and will get closer as midnight approaches.

To the left of that orion constellation. Over the next night, the moon will move across the sky from right to left, approaching the constellation Orion.

Tuesday, February 24th – Moon, Pleiades, Hyades

The moon tonight iscrescent moonThis means that a quarter of the phase cycle has passed. At this stage, the Moon appears half-illuminated from Earth.

Tonight, the moon is between the Pleiades and another star cluster known as the Pleiades. Hyades.

The most prominent part of the Hyades cluster is its reddish stars aldebaranIt is known as the “red eye of the bull” because it is the brightest star in the constellation Taurus.

From our point of view, Aldebaran is a good marker for locating the Hyades, as it is located within the cluster. Although it is not actually part of a star cluster, it appears as such from Earth.

Wednesday, February 25th – Moon and Orion

The moon will be more than half bright and will be directly above the constellation Orion. The moon is getting closer to full with each passing night.

If you look to the left of the constellation Orion and the moon, you’ll see two bright stars high in the sky, and a faint star next to them.

That bright “star” is actually Jupiter, the best planet to see in the night sky at this time.

If you only see one planet in this six-planet arrangement, it’s likely Jupiter. If you have binoculars or a telescope, point them towards Jupiter and see if you can see one of its four brightest moons.

The two faint stars to the left of Jupiter are: castor and polluxthe twin stars of gemini.

Thursday, February 26th – Moon and Jupiter

Tonight’s moon is big and beautiful, and it’s close to Jupiter.

The moon and planets can be seen on the western side of the sky after sunset.

Friday, February 27th – Moon and Jupiter

Compared to last night, the moon is now on the opposite side of Jupiter.

The moon moves towards the east in the sky every night, and is currently moving towards the east.

The moon will be full on March 3, 2026. This is the so-called full moon. worm moonThis means that as spring approaches and the ground begins to warm, the earthworms will reappear.

Over the weekend, you’ll be able to watch the moon become full and move further east.

By March 3, it will be on the opposite side of the sky from the sun, rising in the east as the sun sets in the west.

This is why we have a full moon. The moon is on the opposite side of the earth from the sun, so sunlight falls completely on the earth side of the moon.

In some parts of the world, this looks like this: March 3, 2026 total lunar eclipse.

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