EarthSky

Dark cloud-like formation in space, in the shape of a horse's head, with bright stars around it, and pink clouds behind it.

It's a cosmic horse head! 🐴🌌🔭 Jelieta Walinski at the Desert Bloom Observatory in Arizona, captured this beautiful view of the #HorseheadNebula last month. Thank you, Jelieta! #nebula 📸
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See more great images and submit your own too:
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A bright blue bird with small black eyes sitting on a bird feeder. A house and swimming pool are in the background.

A brilliantly colorful bluebird! 🐦 Mark Wralstad in Virginia Beach, Virginia, saw this beautiful eastern #bluebird in his backyard last Friday. Thank you, Mark! #birds 📸
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See more great images, and submit your own recent photos, at EarthSky Community Photos:

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That's a great sample!

No, it will be the early hours of the morning: Partial eclipse begins at 3:50 a.m. for Central Time and 1:50 a.m. for Pacific Time (Baja California). Totality begins at 5:04 and 3:04 respectively, with maximum eclipse about half an hour later. It'll end about 6 (Central) or 4 Pacific.

The sun at the top right, surrounded by a blue sky. There are thin, tree branches, droplets and orangish clouds in the frame.

Our friend Sheryl R Garrison in Southern Alberta shared this photo with us and wrote: "I came across this tiny abstract of Earth and the sun reflected in a puddle. Next shot up? With any luck at all, the eclipsed #BloodMoon of March 3!" Fingers crossed for clear skies! Thank you!
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Small, elongated, fuzzy-looking yellow flowers. Some unopened buds are also on the plant stems.

It's almost #spring! ... 🌼 EarthSky friend Cecille Kennedy saw these fuzzy #flowers along the Alder Island Nature Trail in Oregon last Thursday. Thank you! 📸
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Read why some call March 1 the first day of spring:
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And see more lovely photos here:
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Sky chart with round red disk on the slanted green ecliptic line, near star Regulus.

Early risers, this one’s for you! Before dawn tomorrow, the full moon takes center stage and the real magic begins. As Earth’s shadow slowly sweeps across the lunar surface, that bright silver glow will fade into a deep, coppery red. More info, videos and charts here:
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📸EarthSky.org.

WOW! That's amazing!

Low-angle view of bright yellow tulips blooming in a field under a pale blue sky, green leaves reaching upward in sunlight.

Astronomers say the first day of #spring this year is March 20 at 14:46 UTC (9:46 a.m. CDT). But a meteorologist or climatologist will tell you spring starts today, March 1. Read why at: buff.ly/YKB578d

📸 Pexels.

Join EarthSky's Marcy Curran in a video preview of the stars, constellations - and planets - for the month of March 2026. There's a total lunar #eclipse, a close pairing of two planets and a lot of bright stars, here: buff.ly/mmI1A23

Increasingly shadowed moons arrayed from lower left to upper right with the fully-eclipsed middle one glowing red-orange.

A total lunar #eclipse is dramatic, beautiful and easy to view. During the eclipse, the sun, Earth and moon form a line in space. So Earth’s shadow falls on the moon’s face. Here are tips for watching the eclipse: buff.ly/L2Hg6lp

📸 Eric Jensen.

Composite image with the moon phases from partial shadow to a deep red total Blood Moon.

During the total lunar #eclipse of March 2-3, 2026, at maximum eclipse, the moon will look red. But why? Earth’s atmosphere is the key. Read more at: buff.ly/cludZna

📸 Patrick Prokop.

Pale blue, long hexagonal crystals growing from irregular rock.

March babies have two birthstones to choose from. There's the blue #aquamarine or the red-speckled bloodstone. Read more at: buff.ly/bSxYoeL

📸 Gunnar Ries Amphibol/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5).

Overnight on March 2-3, a total lunar #eclipse of the full Worm Moon will sweep across northwest North America, the Pacific Ocean and Japan, and parts of Australia, Southeast Asia, China, India, and Russia. Charts and info here: buff.ly/1v665Di

Or watch a video: buff.ly/MQALVUd

Sky chart: The bulging gibbous moon near the star Regulus along the steep ecliptic line, with the rest of the constellation Leo to the left.

The waxing gibbous #moon rises after sunset tonight near #Regulus, the brightest star in #Leo the Lion. Regulus is the bright dot at the bottom of the backward question mark called Leo’s Sickle. For more sky events, visit EarthSky’s night sky guide at: buff.ly/nSksjEr

Half-illuminated Moon against a clear blue daytime sky, showing detailed craters and rugged terrain along the shadowed edge.

Mandy Daniels in Derbyshire, United Kingdom, captured this image of the first quarter daytime #moon. Thank you, Mandy!
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Have a photo of your own to share? Submit it here!
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Wide-field view of the Spider and Fly Nebula region, showing red emission clouds with labeled star clusters M38 and NGC 1907, and bright nebula IC 417 glowing at right.

Tameem Altameemi in the United Arab Emirates captured this image of the beautiful Spider and Fly #Nebulae in the constellation Auriga. Thank you, Tameem!
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Have a photo of your own to share? Submit it here!
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Jupiter on the slanted green ecliptic line, close to Castor and Pollux, above the moon which is also on the ecliptic.

On the final night of February, the waxing gibbous #moon will lie near #Jupiter and the twin stars of #Gemini, Castor and Pollux. They’ll set before dawn the next morning. For more sky events, visit EarthSky’s night sky guide at: buff.ly/nSksjEr

Sky chart for mid-to-late February 2026 evenings showing Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, Mercury, and Venus aligned along the Sun’s path, with Orion and Sirius visible.

It’s true that there are 6 #planets in the sky after sunset tonight. Read about how to see them at: buff.ly/X3DJ8ku

Or watch a video here!
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Bright orange egg-shaped sun distorted by atmospheric refraction as it rises above the ocean horizon, with a small cloud perched on top like a glowing cap.

Patricio León in Zapallar, Chile, captured this odd-shaped setting #sun on February 6, 2026. Thank you for sharing, Patricio!
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Have a photo of your own to share? Submit it here!
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Close-up view of the Sun’s edge showing a bright solar prominence arching outward above the glowing orange surface against dark space.

More action is coming soon on the Earth-facing side of our star. We know because of the fiery prominence blasted out from beyond the #sun's edge,yesterday. The active region that produced this blast should show up in the coming days. Read more sun news at: buff.ly/eV5YSbS

📸 NOAA.

Have you heard of orbital resonance? In most planetary systems, the times that different worlds take to #orbit the star have no relationship to each other. But other #planets have synchronized, rhythmically repeating orbits: orbital resonance. 🔭
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📸 Amitchell125/ Wikimedia Commons.

Star chart showing the gibbous moon on Feb 26 and 27 near Jupiter and the stars Castor and Pollux.

Tonight, the waxing gibbous #moon will lie near bright Jupiter and the twin stars of Gemini, Castor and Pollux. They’ll set before sunrise the next morning. 🔭 For more sky events, visit EarthSky’s night sky guide at: buff.ly/0AiDgTW

Or watch this video for more information: buff.ly/AqMpTGJ

Sunrise seen from space, with the Sun’s bright light cresting over Earth’s curved horizon and illuminating the planet’s atmosphere.

The last #leapyear was 2024. So 2028 will be our next leap year, a 366-day-long year, with an extra day added to our calendar (February 29). We’ll call that extra day a leap day. Why do we need the extra day? 🤔 Blame Earth’s orbit. Read more about leap years at: buff.ly/iE2htQg

📸 NASA.

At dusk, a huge building with a tall open door and a rocket standing next to a yellow-lit structure.

Big changes for #Artemis! NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced today (February 27) that there would be major changes in the upcoming missions as NASA plans to return to the moon. Read about the plans and updated timeline for Artemis 2 here: buff.ly/kS2IK1Y

📹️ Greg Diesel-Walck

Bright orange glow on the horizon at night with a tall plume of fire rising above dark landscape silhouettes.

A mud #volcano erupted near the town of San Juan de Urabá in Colombia on Wednesday night. The bright fireball blazed into the night sky, startling nearby observers. No one was injured, but livestock were killed. Read more about mud volcanoes here: buff.ly/ICFU8wF

📸 fluxfolio_.

Gray terrain seen from above with web-like intersecting ridges and dark patches.

NASA’s Curiosity rover is investigating “spiderwebs” on #Mars … but they aren’t made by Martian spiders. High on Mount Sharp, inside Gale Crater, the rover has been exploring vast, grid-like rock patterns called boxwork. 🔭 Read more at: buff.ly/bfZAhra

📸 NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ University of Arizona.

Sky chart for mid-to-late February 2026 evenings showing Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, Mercury, and Venus aligned along the Sun’s path, with Orion and Sirius visible.

It’s true that there are 6 #planets in the sky after sunset in mid-to-late February. But 2 of those planets require optical aid to see. And 3 of the planets are near the sunset glow and tough to spot right now! 🔭 Read about the event at: buff.ly/2znQrJ5

Or watch a video here!
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Diagram of a system of 6 stars, with their orbits, and line of stars showing comparative sizes.

Castor isn't really a twin, but it is part of a sextuplet! Despite being labeled as twins, the stars #Castor and #Pollux in #Gemini are not gravitationally bound. Yet Castor is gravitationally bound into a multiple system of its own. It’s actually 6 #stars, not 1! 🔭
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📸 EarthSky.org.

The U-shaped constellation Gemini, with stars labeled, and Jupiter in it on the green ecliptic line.

Look up! A pair of prominent #stars are shining like twins in the evening sky. They are #Pollux and #Castor in the constellation #Gemini the Twins. They aren’t identical twins, however; Pollux is brighter and more golden than Castor.

And this year, Jupiter is nearby! 🔭

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📸 EarthSky.