Night sky guide

February 2026

JanFebMar

New moon

Feb 17

Snow Moon

Feb 1

Dark-sky window

Feb 13 - Feb 21

excellent moon conditions

Best first target

M42 Orion Nebula

Ready · City-friendly

Monthly anchors

GeminiAurigaCanis MajorCanis MinorWinter Triangle

February 2026

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Targets

Ordered for this month's Munich guide view.

Orion Nebula
Image: Local guide image

Orion Nebula

M42

Emission Nebula

easy
ReadyCity-friendlyOrionNaked eyeMag 41,344 ly

Active stellar nursery where new stars are being born right now — the closest large star-forming region to Earth.

Find it

Find Orion's Belt — three bright stars in a row, unmistakable in the winter sky. Drop your gaze straight down about one fist-width to find the 'sword' hanging below the belt. M42 is the fuzzy middle 'star' of the sword — it looks distinctly non-stellar even to the naked eye.

Open Cluster
M41
Canis Major

M41

M41

Open Cluster

easy
TentativeLearningCanis MajorNaked eyeMag 4.52,300 ly

A bright open cluster just south of Sirius, possibly observed by Aristotle in 325 BC — making it one of the first deep-sky objects ever recorded.

Find it

Find Sirius — the brightest star in the night sky. M41 lies exactly 4° south of Sirius, easily visible to the naked eye as a fuzzy patch.

Open Cluster
M37
Auriga

M37

M37

Open Cluster

easy
FutureLearningAurigaBinocularsMag 5.64,500 ly

The richest and largest of Auriga's famous open cluster trio — over 500 stars in a spectacular stellar city.

Find it

Located in Auriga, roughly midway between the bright stars Elnath (β Tau) and θ Aurigae. May be glimpsed as a hazy spot under excellent conditions.

Seasonal constellations

Auriga

1 target

February
M37

Eastern Auriga, forming a triangle with M36 and M38

Canis Major

1 target

February
M41

In Canis Major, directly south of Sirius

Orion

1 target

January
Orion Nebula

In Orion's Sword, below the Belt

Meteor showers

No major meteor shower peaks in February. Focus on the dark-sky window and the seasonal targets above.