View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Andrew Stone in Cave Creek, Arizona, captured the Jellyfish Nebula on February 15, 2026. Andrew wrote: “IC 443, the Jellyfish Nebula, is a galactic supernova remnant in the constellation Gemini, roughly 5,000 light-years from Earth. It is a massive star explosion that occurred between 3,000 and 30,000 years ago. It spans about 70 light-years and features a neutron pulsar star at its center.” Thank you, Andrew! See more deep-sky photos from February 2026 below.
Stunning deep-sky photos from our community
The EarthSky community has many talented astrophotographers who capture stunning images of the deep sky. We gathered some of our favorite deep-sky photos we received in February 2026 for you to enjoy. Do you have some of your own images to share? You can submit them to us here. We would love to see them!
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Tameem Altameemi in the United Arab Emirates captured Thor’s Helmet in Canis Major on February 20, 2026. Tameem wrote: “This is an emission nebula shaped by the intense stellar winds of a massive Wolf-Rayet star. The powerful outflows from this evolved star collide with surrounding interstellar material, sculpting a complex bubble-like structure that resembles a celestial helmet floating in space. The glowing gases, dominated by hydrogen and oxygen emissions, unveil turbulent arcs and filaments that trace the energetic history of the star.” Thank you, Tameem!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Aquib Ali Ansari in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, caught nebulae in Orion on February 11, 2026. Aquib wrote: “This wide-field astrophotograph captures 2 striking deep-sky objects within a single frame. The Monkey Head and Jellyfish Nebulae highlight both stellar birth and stellar death. Although these nebulae appear close together in the night sky, they are separated by vast distances. The Jellyfish Nebula lies about 5,000 light-years from Earth. Meanwhile, the Monkey Head Nebula is located farther away at roughly 6,400 light-years.” Thank you, Aquib!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Tameem Altameemi in the United Arab Emirates captured nebulae in Auriga on February 22, 2026. Tameem wrote: “The bright emission nebula IC 417, aka the Spider Nebula, is an active star-forming region where ionized hydrogen gas glows under the radiation of young massive stars. Nearby lies NGC 1931, aka the Fly Nebula, a compact nebula containing both emission and reflection components surrounding a young stellar cluster. The wide field also includes 2 open star clusters, Messier 38 and NGC 1907, adding depth and stellar context to this rich galactic region.” Thank you, Tameem!
The Orion Nebula and the Horsehead Nebula
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Gene Robinson in Goodyear, Arizona, captured the Orion Nebula and its surroundings on February 1, 2026. Gene wrote: “Running Man Nebula (NGC 1977), Orion Nebula (M42), and open star cluster NGC 1980 and Iota Orionis.” Thank you, Gene!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mohammed Abdallah in Whales Valley, Fayoum, Egypt, caught the Orion Molecular Complex on February 13, 2026. Mohammed wrote: “This wide-field view of Orion shows the most notable nebulae including Barnard’s loop, Orion Nebula, the Horsehead, the Flame and a very faint Witch’s Head.” Thank you, Mohammed!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Eric Jensen in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, captured the Horsehead Nebula and its surroundings on February 11, 2026. Eric wrote: “I finally got enough clear skies this winter to be able to spend enough time on an iconic deep sky object. Using the dual narrow-band filter really allowed the hydrogen gases to pop!” Thank you, Eric!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Ernest Jacobs in North Java, New York, captured the Horsehead Nebula on February 8, 2026. Ernest wrote: “The first clear night in months was Super Bowl Sunday. Temperatures were well below zero. A few of us braved the cold and headed out to our club’s observatory. We captured the Horsehead and Flame Nebulae. The bright star Alnitak (leftmost star of Orion’s Belt) is the bright star above the Flame Nebula.” Thank you, Ernest!
Reflection nebulae in Orion
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Tameem Altameemi in the United Arab Emirates captured nebulae in Orion on February 20, 2026. Tameem wrote: “This image features the reflection-nebula complex surrounding Messier 78, along with NGC 2064, NGC 2067 and NGC 2071. They’re all embedded within the Orion Molecular Cloud environment. Unlike emission nebulae, these objects shine primarily by scattering and reflecting starlight off interstellar dust, producing the characteristic bluish glow of reflection nebulae.” Thank you, Tameem!
Deep-sky photos of distant galaxies
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jelieta Walinski at Desert Bloom Observatory in St. David, Arizona, caught the Black Eye Galaxy on February 9, 2026. Jelieta wrote: “In Coma Berenices lies Messier 64, a spiral galaxy whose beauty carries a striking imperfection. A dark band of absorbing dust sweeps across its luminous core. But this ‘black eye’ is not an injury: it is evidence of cosmic history. The gas in its outer regions rotates in the opposite direction of the inner stars. This unusual motion strongly suggests that M64 absorbed a smaller galaxy long ago.” Thank you, Jelieta!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jelieta Walinski in St. David, Arizona, captured the Triangulum Galaxy on February 5, 2026. Jelieta wrote: “Floating nearly 2.7 million light-years away in the modest constellation of Triangulum lies the Triangulum Galaxy. It’s smaller than the Andromeda Galaxy and our own Milky Way. But the Triangulum Galaxy is rich with sprawling hydrogen regions, luminous star-forming knots and delicate, loosely wound spiral arms that breathe with stellar birth.” Thank you, Jelieta!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jelieta Walinski in St. David, Arizona, captured Markarian’s Chain of galaxies in Virgo on February 12, 2026. Jelieta wrote: “This ‘chain’ of galaxies is not a true physical line. Rather, it’s a perspective view of galaxies embedded within the gravitational architecture of the Virgo Cluster.” Thank you, Jelieta!
Bottom line: Without a doubt, you’ll enjoy this gallery of deep-sky photos for February 2026 from our EarthSky community. If you have a great photo to share, send it in, too. We love to see them!
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Andrew Stone in Cave Creek, Arizona, captured the Jellyfish Nebula on February 15, 2026. Andrew wrote: “IC 443, the Jellyfish Nebula, is a galactic supernova remnant in the constellation Gemini, roughly 5,000 light-years from Earth. It is a massive star explosion that occurred between 3,000 and 30,000 years ago. It spans about 70 light-years and features a neutron pulsar star at its center.” Thank you, Andrew! See more deep-sky photos from February 2026 below.
Stunning deep-sky photos from our community
The EarthSky community has many talented astrophotographers who capture stunning images of the deep sky. We gathered some of our favorite deep-sky photos we received in February 2026 for you to enjoy. Do you have some of your own images to share? You can submit them to us here. We would love to see them!
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Tameem Altameemi in the United Arab Emirates captured Thor’s Helmet in Canis Major on February 20, 2026. Tameem wrote: “This is an emission nebula shaped by the intense stellar winds of a massive Wolf-Rayet star. The powerful outflows from this evolved star collide with surrounding interstellar material, sculpting a complex bubble-like structure that resembles a celestial helmet floating in space. The glowing gases, dominated by hydrogen and oxygen emissions, unveil turbulent arcs and filaments that trace the energetic history of the star.” Thank you, Tameem!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Aquib Ali Ansari in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, caught nebulae in Orion on February 11, 2026. Aquib wrote: “This wide-field astrophotograph captures 2 striking deep-sky objects within a single frame. The Monkey Head and Jellyfish Nebulae highlight both stellar birth and stellar death. Although these nebulae appear close together in the night sky, they are separated by vast distances. The Jellyfish Nebula lies about 5,000 light-years from Earth. Meanwhile, the Monkey Head Nebula is located farther away at roughly 6,400 light-years.” Thank you, Aquib!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Tameem Altameemi in the United Arab Emirates captured nebulae in Auriga on February 22, 2026. Tameem wrote: “The bright emission nebula IC 417, aka the Spider Nebula, is an active star-forming region where ionized hydrogen gas glows under the radiation of young massive stars. Nearby lies NGC 1931, aka the Fly Nebula, a compact nebula containing both emission and reflection components surrounding a young stellar cluster. The wide field also includes 2 open star clusters, Messier 38 and NGC 1907, adding depth and stellar context to this rich galactic region.” Thank you, Tameem!
The Orion Nebula and the Horsehead Nebula
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Gene Robinson in Goodyear, Arizona, captured the Orion Nebula and its surroundings on February 1, 2026. Gene wrote: “Running Man Nebula (NGC 1977), Orion Nebula (M42), and open star cluster NGC 1980 and Iota Orionis.” Thank you, Gene!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mohammed Abdallah in Whales Valley, Fayoum, Egypt, caught the Orion Molecular Complex on February 13, 2026. Mohammed wrote: “This wide-field view of Orion shows the most notable nebulae including Barnard’s loop, Orion Nebula, the Horsehead, the Flame and a very faint Witch’s Head.” Thank you, Mohammed!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Eric Jensen in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, captured the Horsehead Nebula and its surroundings on February 11, 2026. Eric wrote: “I finally got enough clear skies this winter to be able to spend enough time on an iconic deep sky object. Using the dual narrow-band filter really allowed the hydrogen gases to pop!” Thank you, Eric!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Ernest Jacobs in North Java, New York, captured the Horsehead Nebula on February 8, 2026. Ernest wrote: “The first clear night in months was Super Bowl Sunday. Temperatures were well below zero. A few of us braved the cold and headed out to our club’s observatory. We captured the Horsehead and Flame Nebulae. The bright star Alnitak (leftmost star of Orion’s Belt) is the bright star above the Flame Nebula.” Thank you, Ernest!
Reflection nebulae in Orion
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Tameem Altameemi in the United Arab Emirates captured nebulae in Orion on February 20, 2026. Tameem wrote: “This image features the reflection-nebula complex surrounding Messier 78, along with NGC 2064, NGC 2067 and NGC 2071. They’re all embedded within the Orion Molecular Cloud environment. Unlike emission nebulae, these objects shine primarily by scattering and reflecting starlight off interstellar dust, producing the characteristic bluish glow of reflection nebulae.” Thank you, Tameem!
Deep-sky photos of distant galaxies
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jelieta Walinski at Desert Bloom Observatory in St. David, Arizona, caught the Black Eye Galaxy on February 9, 2026. Jelieta wrote: “In Coma Berenices lies Messier 64, a spiral galaxy whose beauty carries a striking imperfection. A dark band of absorbing dust sweeps across its luminous core. But this ‘black eye’ is not an injury: it is evidence of cosmic history. The gas in its outer regions rotates in the opposite direction of the inner stars. This unusual motion strongly suggests that M64 absorbed a smaller galaxy long ago.” Thank you, Jelieta!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jelieta Walinski in St. David, Arizona, captured the Triangulum Galaxy on February 5, 2026. Jelieta wrote: “Floating nearly 2.7 million light-years away in the modest constellation of Triangulum lies the Triangulum Galaxy. It’s smaller than the Andromeda Galaxy and our own Milky Way. But the Triangulum Galaxy is rich with sprawling hydrogen regions, luminous star-forming knots and delicate, loosely wound spiral arms that breathe with stellar birth.” Thank you, Jelieta!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jelieta Walinski in St. David, Arizona, captured Markarian’s Chain of galaxies in Virgo on February 12, 2026. Jelieta wrote: “This ‘chain’ of galaxies is not a true physical line. Rather, it’s a perspective view of galaxies embedded within the gravitational architecture of the Virgo Cluster.” Thank you, Jelieta!
Bottom line: Without a doubt, you’ll enjoy this gallery of deep-sky photos for February 2026 from our EarthSky community. If you have a great photo to share, send it in, too. We love to see them!
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