Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Lunar Occultation of Mercury

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for February 28, 2026 is “Lunar Occultation of Mercury,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Fabrizio Melandri). The original explanation runs about 137 words.

Lunar Occultation of Mercury
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Fabrizio Melandri Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Fans of the western sky after sunset have lately enjoyed this month’s remarkable array of bright planets. Witnessed from some locations, on February 18 planet Mercury even appeared to slide behind the Moon, an event known as a lunar occultation.”

— APOD editors, February 28, 2026

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
February 28, 2026
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Fabrizio Melandri
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 137 words

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Topics in this entry

The Moon

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: February 28 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.