Visible Planets And Night Sky September And October 2022 - EarthSky

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Watch: March 2-3 Blood Moon preview

Get ready for the March 2-3 total lunar eclipse – the last one we’ll see for nearly 3 years – and learn what makes this Blood Moon so special. EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd will talk about the best place on Earth to see this eclipse, whether you can see it, how to watch … and why it’ll be so long until the next eclipse on New Year’s Eve 2028! Watch in the player above or on YouTube.

February 26 and 27 evenings: Moon, Jupiter and twin stars

A chart for two nights. On the first, a thick hemisphere, the gibbous moon, lies to the upper right of a large dot, Jupiter. To their upper left are two dots, the stars Pollux and Castor. On the next night, a slightly thicker hemisphere, again the moon, is in a line with the two dots.
On the evenings of February 26 and 27, 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. Chart via EarthSky.

Read more: Meet Gemini the Twins, home to 2 bright stars

Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.

March 2 all night: Full Snow Moon

Chart showing a round disk, the full moon, below a dot, Regulus. They are both above a wavy line, the eastern horizon.
On the evening of March 2, the almost full moon will lie below bright star Regulus. If you can’t spot Regulus in the bright moonglow, block out the moon with a finger and the star will pop in to view. Overnight, on March 2-3, the full moon will darken in a total lunar eclipse. The crest of the full moon will be at 11:38 UTC on March 3. Chart via EarthSky.

Read more: Total lunar eclipse: March 2-3 of the full Worm Moon

Morning of March 3: Total lunar eclipse of the full Worm Moon

Chart showing a round red disk, the full moon during the total lunar eclilpse, and by it a dot, Regulus. They are both above a wavy line, the eastern horizon.
The crest of the full moon will be at 11:38 UTC on March 3. That’s 5:38 a.m. CST. Also that morning, starting at 3:50 a.m. CST on March 3, the moon will begin to pass through Earth’s umbral (dark) shadow. It will be totally eclipsed from 5:04 to 6:03 a.m CST. Can you spot the star Regulus nearby? By 7:17 a.m. CST, the moon will have exited the umbral (darker) shadow, ending the total lunar eclipse. The farther east you live in North America, the less of the eclipse you’ll see, because for you the moon will set before the entire event is over. Chart via EarthSky.

Read more: Total lunar eclipse: March 2-3 of the full Worm Moon

March 3 evening: Moon and Regulus

Chart showing a round disk, the almost full moon, below a dot, Regulus. They are both above a wavy line, the eastern horizon.
On the early evening of March 3, the recently eclipsed moon – just 14 hours after reaching its fullest phase – will lie between the bright star Regulus and the horizon. They’ll be visible through sunrise the next morning. Chart via EarthSky.

March evening planets

Sphere chart showing a dot, Jupiter, high above the lower rim, the southern horizon. Immediately above the western rim is a larger dot, Venus, and next to it a smaller dot, Saturn.
As seen from across Earth this month, the bright planet Jupiter will be high in the sky as darkness falls each evening. And it’ll be visible through several hours before dawn. The planets Venus and Saturn will be low on the western horizon. They’ll have a close conjunction on March 7 and 8. Venus will become easier to spot this month, while Saturn slips closer to the horizon and disappears around mid-month. Note that these planets lie along the path the sun travels in the daytime (the green line on our chart). Chart via EarthSky.

Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.

March 28 and 29 evenings: Moon, Regulus and the Sickle

Chart showing a fat hemisphere, the moon, moving past a dot, the star Regulus. To their left are five smaller dots, the Sickle asterism of Leo.
On the evenings of March 28 and 29, the waxing gibbous moon will be near Regulus, the brightest star in Leo the Lion. Regulus is the bright dot at the bottom of a backward question-mark pattern of stars known as the Sickle. They’ll set before sunrise the next morning. Chart via EarthSky.

Read more: Meet Pollux: The brighter twin star of Gemini

February stars and constellations

If you’re out stargazing on any February evening, look for these stars and constellations high overhead in the evening sky. Give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness. And consider heading to a dark-sky site for the best views of the stars.

Star chart showing the constellation Auriga with Capella, 2 other stars, and 3 Messier objects labeled.
Auriga the Charioteer is a popular constellation for Northern Hemisphere observers in autumn and winter, because its flashing star advertises its presence. Capella, the brightest star in Auriga, flashes red, blue and green when it’s close to the horizon, and we see it through a thick layer of Earth’s atmosphere. Close to Capella are a pair of stars known as The Kids, baby goats that the Charioteer carries. And Auriga houses 3 star clusters, easy targets to hunt down with binoculars. Chart via EarthSky.
Taurus the Bull: Fork-shaped constellation with lines with Aldebaran labeled, and small cluster labeled Pleiades at the top.
Taurus the Bull takes the shape of a 2-pronged fork, with the center V-shape consisting of an actual star cluster – a family of stars in space – that we call the Hyades. The Hyades marks the face of the Bull. The bright red star Aldebaran shines in the V and represents the Bull’s fiery eye. In addition, Taurus holds another famous star cluster, which we call the Pleiades or 7 Sisters. You’ll notice it has the shape of a tiny dipper. Chart via EarthSky.
Sky chart: the constellation Gemini, with stars labeled, and Jupiter in it on the green ecliptic line.
The constellation Gemini the Twins is high in the February evening sky. And in February 2026, the bright planet Jupiter is near the 2 brightest stars of Gemini. These stars are golden Pollux and white Castor. Pollux is the slightly brighter one. But Jupiter outshines them both! Chart via EarthSky.
Five labeled stars linked with lines to make the letter W and two tiny, labeled clusters above, on blue background.
You can find Cassiopeia the Queen in the northwest in the evening during the month of February. It’s one of the easiest constellations to spot! It has the shape of an M or W. If you have a dark sky, you can also look above Cassiopeia for a famous binocular object, the Double Cluster in Perseus. Chart via EarthSky.

March stars and constellations

If you’re out stargazing on any March evening, look for these stars and constellations high overhead in the evening sky. Give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness. And consider heading to a dark-sky site for the best views of the stars.

Star chart showing the constellation Auriga with Capella, 2 other stars, and 3 Messier objects labeled.
Auriga the Charioteer is a popular constellation for Northern Hemisphere observers in winter, because its flashing star advertises its presence. Capella, the brightest star in Auriga, flashes red, blue and green when it’s close to the horizon, and we see it through a thick layer of Earth’s atmosphere. Close to Capella are a pair of stars known as The Kids, baby goats that the Charioteer carries. And Auriga houses 3 star clusters, easy targets to hunt down with binoculars. Chart via EarthSky.
Taurus the Bull: Fork-shaped constellation with lines with Aldebaran labeled, and small cluster labeled Pleiades at the top.
Taurus the Bull takes the shape of a 2-pronged fork, with the center V-shape consisting of an actual star cluster – a family of stars in space – that we call the Hyades. The Hyades marks the face of the Bull. The bright red star Aldebaran shines in the V and represents the Bull’s fiery eye. In addition, Taurus holds another famous star cluster, which we call the Pleiades or 7 Sisters. You’ll notice it has the shape of a tiny dipper. Chart via EarthSky.
A dot, Jupiter, is to the right of two smaller dots, the stars Castor and Pollux. It is also above another dot. They all lie above a horizontal wavy line, the horizon.
As darkness falls, Jupiter will shine brightly in the sky this month. And it’ll be near the twin stars of Gemini, Castor (the slightly dimmer one) and Pollux (the slightly brighter one). Jupiter will set several hours after midnight by month’s end. Chart via EarthSky.

Read more: Latitude and the stars: Location is key

March evening planets

Chart with a starred dot, Venus, sitting above a wavy line, the western horizon.
Brilliant Venus will shine above the western horizon shortly after sunset all month. Chart via EarthSky.
A dot, Jupiter, is to the lower right of two smaller dots, the stars Castor and Pollux.
As darkness falls, Jupiter will shine brightly high in the sky. And it’ll be near the twin stars of Gemini, Castor (the slightly dimmer one) and Pollux (the slightly brighter one). Jupiter will set several hours after midnight. Chart via EarthSky.

March morning planets

A dot, Mercury, lies above a smaller dot, Mars. Below them is a horizontal wavy line, the horizon.
Shortly before sunrise during the last week of March, viewers in the Southern Hemisphere can spot Mercury in the east. Below it in the bright morning twilight is the fainter Mars. They will be difficult to spot from the Northern Hemisphere. Chart via EarthSky.

Where’s Saturn? After mid-month, Saturn will be too close to the sun to see. It’ll emerge in the morning sky sometime in April.

Sky dome map for visible planets and night sky

Circle constellations, planets, the moon, the Milky Way and celestial lines.
Here is the sky dome view for February 2026. It shows what is above the horizon at mid-evening for mid-northern latitudes. The view may vary depending on your location. Image via Guy Ottewell’s 2026 Astronomical Calendar.
Circle constellations, planets, the moon, the Milky Way and celestial lines.
Here is the sky dome view for March 2026. It shows what is above the horizon at mid-evening for mid-northern latitudes. The view may vary depending on your location. Image via Guy Ottewell’s 2026 Astronomical Calendar.

Read more: Guy Ottewell explains sky dome maps.

Heliocentric solar system visible planets and more

Circle with sun at center, planets around, and zodiac names on outer edge.
Heliocentric view of solar system, February 2026. Chart via Guy Ottewell’s 2026 Astronomical Calendar. Used with permission. Plus Guy Ottewell explains heliocentric charts here.
Circle with sun at center, planets around, and zodiac names on outer edge.
Heliocentric view of the solar system, March 2026. Chart via Guy Ottewell’s 2026 Astronomical Calendar. Used with permission. Plus Guy Ottewell explains heliocentric charts here.

Read more: Guy Ottewell explains heliocentric charts.

Some resources to enjoy

For more videos of great night sky events, visit EarthSky’s YouTube page.

Don’t miss anything. Subscribe to daily emails from EarthSky. It’s free!

Visit EarthSky’s Best Places to Stargaze to find a dark-sky location near you.

Post your own night sky photos at EarthSky Community Photos.

See the indispensable Observer’s Handbook, from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

Visit Stellarium-Web.org for precise views from your location.

Almanac: Bright visible planets (rise and set times for your location).

Visit TheSkyLive for precise views from your location.

Bottom line: Visible planets and night sky guide. Look for the moon near Jupiter this evening, with Castor and Pollux close by. And watch a video about the upcoming Blood Moon.

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