The Sky Tonight Update: Feb. 26, Annular Solar Eclipse

This February 26, an annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is too far away from the Earth to completely cover the Sun. This results in a ring of light around the darkened Moon. The Sun’s corona is not visible during an annular eclipse. The path of the eclipse will begin off the coast of Chile and pass through southern Chile and southern Argentina, across the southern Atlantic Ocean, and into Angola and Congo in Africa. A partial eclipse will be visible throughout parts of southern South America and southwestern Africa.

The Sky Tonight Update: Feb. 26, New Moon

This February 26, the Moon will be located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 14:59 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

Major Discovery: 7 Earth-Size Planets Discovered Orbiting Nearby Star

It’s something the likes of which astronomers have never seen: seven Earth-sized worlds orbiting a nearby star.  And all of them may be capable of supporting life as we know it.

The Sky Tonight Update: Feb. 11, Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

This February 11, a penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the Earth’s partial shadow, or penumbra. During this type of eclipse the Moon will darken slightly but not completely. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of eastern South America, eastern Canada, the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Africa, and western Asia.

The Sky Tonight Update: Feb. 11, Full Moon

This February 11, the Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 00:33 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Snow Moon because the heaviest snows usually fell during this time of the year. Since hunting is difficult, this moon has also been known by some tribes as the Full Hunger Moon, since the harsh weather made hunting difficult.