Night Sky Preservation

The goal of the KIRB Night Sky initiative is to provide education, guidance, and programming regarding the importance of dark Night Skies to Real County and the Frio and Nueces Canyons.

Real County is well known for its beauty and natural resources, including the Frio River, Nueces River, rolling hills and stunning vistas—day and night. KIRB works to educate landowners and visitors about the benefits of dark skies for wildlife, humans, and for the promotion of astrotourism. Programs are designed to inform homeowners, businesses, and tourists about ways you can help protect the scenic nightime beauty we sometimes take for granted.

What’s going on in our night sky FEBRUARY 2026?

🌠 Meteor Showers:
There are no active meteor showers easily seen from our latitude. But there is always the stray meteor. Go out and look, you may see satellites or the International Space Station (ISS). April will bring us the Lyrids and Aquariids.

🌕 Moon & Celestial Neighbors:
On February 1, the Snow Moon rises fully illuminated. That night, the Moon passes near M44 (Beehive Cluster) in Cancer. Late January leading into Feb 1: In the early morning of Jan. 31, the Moon appears near Jupiter, forming a triangle with Castor and Pollux in Gemini. This remains relevant to early‑February sky watchers.

Feb 18: The Moon makes notable close approaches to Venus, Mercury, and Saturn low in the early evening sky.

🌑 Moon Phases:
Full Moon:
February 1, 2026 — the Snow Moon (also called Bear Moon, Hungry Moon, Storm/Ice Moon in various traditions).

New Moon:
February 17, 2026 — coincides with an annular solar eclipse (not visible in Texas).

Last Quarter: February 9

First Quarter: February 24

THE BEST STARGAZING IS FEB. 14 – FEB.22

🪐 Planet Visibility:
Major Event: Six‑Planet Parade (Feb 21–28).
A rare celestial lineup of Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune becomes visible along the western horizon just after sunset, best between Feb 21–28 around 6:45 PM. Easiest naked‑eye planets: Venus (brightest), Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury (low).
NOTE: Require binoculars/telescope: Uranus, Neptune. Window is short: Mercury and Venus set 30–45 minutes after sunset. Jupiter & Uranus remain visible longer into the night, with Jupiter high among Gemini and Uranus near Taurus before setting after midnight. Mercury greatest elongation east: February 19 — making it more observable in evening twilight. Feb 18–19

Moon interactions: Moon passes close to Venus, Mercury, and Saturn, helpful for locating those planets shortly after sunset.

You can see a lot with your naked eyes or a set of binoculars this February

🌌 Naked‑eye Highlights
On clear February nights four beyond‑our‑solar‑system wonders become excellent targets. First is the Andromeda Galaxy, positioned just above the Great Square of Pegasus and easily found from the Andromeda constellation; it appears as a faint, elongated glow under dark skies. Second, the Pleiades star cluster (M45) in Taurus shines high overhead, presenting a tight grouping of blue‑white stars. Third, the bright winter constellations offer stellar beacons such as Rigel in Orion, which burns brilliantly in the southeast. Fourth, Capella in Auriga—one of the brightest stars in the sky—dominates the northeastern region and is an excellent landmark for winter stargazing.

🔭 Binocular Highlights
With binoculars, two deeper and richer beyond‑solar‑system objects stand out. The Pleiades (M45), while visible without aid, becomes dramatically more detailed through binoculars, revealing dozens of tightly packed stars. Additionally, on February 23, the Moon makes a close approach to M45, offering a convenient reference point for locating this iconic cluster. Together, these naked‑eye and binocular targets provide a rewarding tour of our galactic neighborhood, highlighting some of the brightest and most accessible deep‑sky objects visible from Texas during mid‑winter.

For more celestial objects to see, check out the back of the current month’s sky map.

HAPPY SKYGAZING!

Friends of the night sky business recognition program

WHAT IS IT?

It is a program sponsored by Keep It Real Beautiful and Friends of the Night Sky, endorsed by the Hill Country Alliance, and supported by the Frio Canyon Chamber of Commerce. Its purpose is to recognize businesses and organizations that have Night Sky Friendly outdoor lighting and to encourage others to follow suit.

WHY IS IT?

The goal is to protect and preserve the treasured natural resource that is the Hill Country’s starry nighttime skies. The program encourages the practice of responsible outdoor lighting. Such lighting will prevent light from escaping above the horizon into the nighttime sky, causing sky glow and glare, forms of light pollution.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR MY BUSINESS?

The starry nighttime sky is a natural wonder to be enjoyed by all who live in or visit Real County and all our river canyons.
There are almost 4 million people who live in light polluted urban and suburban areas, within short driving distances, where it is almost impossible to view pristine nighttime skies. For many of these people, an overnight trip to our area to see the stars would be a treat. “Heads in beds” means more business for our motels, B&Bs, restaurants, service stations, and other commercial entities as well as for our state park. Protecting our night sky from light pollution ensures this valuable resource will endure.
You can advertise as “Night Sky Friendly,” attracting even long distance and international travelers who are seeking the natural beauty of dark night skies.

HOW CAN MY BUSINESS PARTICIPATE?

All outdoor lighting on your premises is shielded and aimed downward so that no light trespasses beyond the business property boundary or above the horizontal plane into the sky. Lighting is directed only when and where it is needed for the task at hand. Motion detector lighting and extinguished lighting after hours is preferred.
Lighting is not so bright as to cause glare or to reduce visibility in unlit areas.
The color of outdoor lighting is amber or warm white versus bright white or blue. Lighting with a color temperature of less than or equal to 3000 Kelvin is ideal.
Any business or organization in the area can request that the Friends of the Night Sky team conduct an evaluation of its outdoor lighting to determine if it qualifies for recognition and/or to recommend lighting solutions for problematic fixtures.

HOW WILL MY BUSINESS BE RECOGNIZED?

A business or organization that meets the criteria listed above receives recognition as a Night Sky Friendly Business with:

A Certificate of Merit presented by Keep It Real Beautiful (KIRB) and Friends of the Night Sky for display inside your business.
A window decal display to announce to customers your recognition as a Night Sky Friendly Business
The right to use the Night Sky Friendly Business logo in your advertising, including on your website
A listing as a night sky friendly business with a link to your business’s website on the websites of the Frio Canyon Chamber of Commerce, Keep it Real Beautiful, and the Hill Country Alliance
Special recognition at any Night Sky events held by the Keep It Real Beautiful/Friends of the Night Sky
Publicity in local media outlets