After several cloudy nights, on Friday, 13 February 2026, there periods of light rain (0.28"). The sky cleared on Saturday, 14 February. That night I attended a Star Party at Oracle State Park, our local International Dark Sky Park.

Cloudy skies returned on Sunday, 15 February. There was rain (0.46") on Tuesday, 17 February.

Wednesday, 18 February 2026, was cloudy. After sunset there were clouds in the western sky so I did not expect to be able to see the close conjunction (less than one half degree separation) of the thin crescent Moon and the planet Mercury. However, about 30 minutes after sunset some breaks in the clouds appeared and for a few minutes I could see the Moon, Earthshine, and the planet Mercury. I took these iPhone 15 Pro Max photos (2X and 5X lenses, respectively).

Later Wednesday night, had some rain (0.07").

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