The Sky This Week from Feb. 20 to 27: The Moon grazes the Pleiades

Our satellite reaches First Quarter shortly after passing through the outskirts of a famous star cluster in the sky this week.

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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Sky This Week is brought to you in part by Celestron. This week, the waxing Moon passes close to the Pleiades star cluster, and there are opportunities to view deep-sky objects like the UFO Galaxy and the Coma Cluster of galaxies. Jupiter's moons Ganymede and Io also put on a show.

Why it matters

This weekly sky guide provides stargazers with a detailed overview of the celestial events happening in the coming days, helping them plan their observations and take advantage of the best viewing opportunities.

The details

On Friday, February 20, the waxing Moon sets, opening up a window for deep-sky viewing. Observers can spot the nearly edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 2683, also known as the UFO Galaxy, high in the southeast. The next night, they can target the planetary nebula NGC 3242, the Ghost of Jupiter, in Hydra. On Monday, February 23, the Moon grazes the Pleiades star cluster, with some of the fainter cluster members being occulted. On Tuesday, the First Quarter Moon occurs, and observers can view the Coma Cluster of galaxies in Coma Berenices. On Wednesday, Jupiter's moon Ganymede transits the planet's disk, with its shadow following a few hours later. On Thursday, Mercury passes close to the much brighter Venus in the evening sky, and Saturn's rings are on display. Finally, on Friday, the Moon passes near Jupiter, and the occultation of Jupiter's moon Io is visible.

  • On July 4, Quinn allegedly dove onto the hood of a Waymo vehicle and covered sensors.
  • On July 29, Quinn allegedly damaged a Waymo's tires and driver's side mirror.
  • On August 11, Quinn allegedly stomped on a windshield while someone was inside.

The players

Waymo

An American autonomous driving company and is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company.

Walker Reed Quinn

A 45-year-old San Francisco resident who has a history of vandalism and was out on bail for prior cases related to Waymo vehicles.

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What they’re saying

“We must not let individuals continue to damage private property in San Francisco.”

— Robert Jenkins, San Francisco resident (San Francisco Chronicle)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This case highlights growing concerns in the community about repeat offenders released on bail, raising questions about bail reform, public safety on SF streets, and if any special laws to govern autonomous vehicles in residential and commercial areas.