Summer
February 2027
Times are computed for Coonabarabran / Siding Spring Observatory (SSO), latitude 31.27 south, longitude 149.06 east. Timezone Australia/Sydney. Early night means sunset until four hours after sunset. That is the window most guided night tours actually use.
Moon
Full Moon 21 February.
New Moon 7 February.
Dark nights 25 January to 10 February, then 24 February to 11 March.
- 25 January to 10 February
- 24 February to 11 March
Mid Month Sky Snapshot
Sunset, twilight and the Moon on the 15th, from Siding Spring Observatory (SSO).
- Sunset
- 7:53 pm
- Civil twilight
- 8:18 pm
- Astronomical twilight
- 9:19 pm
- Moon on the 15th
- First Quarter, 62% lit
- Moonrise
- 2:52 pm
- Moonset
- 12:51 am
Early night planets
Only planets that stand at least about 10 degrees above the horizon at some point between sunset and four hours after sunset. Morning-only planets are not listed.
Mars. North-east later in the evening.
Jupiter. North-east later in the evening.
Saturn. West after sunset.
Worth looking at
Short list for the same early-night window. Objects operators actually point at, not a catalogue dump.
1. Southern Cross and Pointers
South-east through the early night.
Naked eye.
2. Orion Nebula
North through the early night.
Binoculars or a small telescope help.
3. Omega Centauri
South-east later in the evening.
A glow to the naked eye. Binoculars help.
4. Carina and Eta Carinae
South-east through the early night.
Naked eye. Binoculars help with the nebula.
5. Jewel Box
South-east later in the evening.
Binoculars or a small telescope help.
6. Tarantula and the Large Magellanic Cloud
South through the early night.
Naked eye. Binoculars help with the Tarantula.
This page is a sky clock. Pick your time to visit. We wish you clear skies. No guarantees with the weather.
Figures are for the 15th of the month.