22 February 2026
**Twilight with Moon and Planets**
Image Credit: Tunc Tezel, TWAN
Explanation:
Only two days
after the February New Moon's annular eclipse of the Sun,
a slender lunar crescent poses
above the western horizon after sunset in this wintry twilight skyscape.
Its nightside faintly illuminated by earthshine, the young Moon is
joined by three bright planets
in the mostly clear, early evening skies above the village of
Kirazli, Turkiye.
Inner planet
Venus appears closest
to the horizon.
Near the beginning of its 2026 performance as planet Earth's evening star,
brilliant Venus is seen through the
warm sunset glare near picture center.
Straight above Venus, innermost planet
Mercury is easy to
spot as it stands remarkably high above the horizon even as
the twilight sky is growing dark.
Outer planet
Saturn,
most distant of the naked-eye planets,
is found just left of the Moon's sunlit crescent.
#APOD #Twilight #Moon #Planets #NewMoon #Eclipse
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260221.html