See the moon eclipse one of the brightest stars in the sky during rare alignment tonight

If you've never seen the moon occult a bright star, tonight (Feb. 2, 2026) could be a night to remember — if geography is kind to you.

Skywatchers in parts of North America and northwest Africa will be treated to a remarkable celestial event when the moon passes in front of Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo, briefly making it vanish from view.

Known as a lunar occultation, this rare alignment is easy to enjoy with the naked eye, though a pair of binoculars or a good telescope will give you a close-up view. Even if you're outside the narrow path where the star disappears, then reappears, a close conjunction of the moon and Regulus will be visible across much of the world, with all parts of North America and Europe particularly well placed.

Meet Regulus, the 'Heart of the Lion' star

Regulus — also called Alpha Leonis — is one of the brightest stars in the night sky. The brightest star in the constellation Leo, this 1.4-magnitude blue-white star is both hotter and younger than the sun, though at just 79 light-years from the solar system, it's a relatively close neighbor.

Though its Latin name means "Little King," Regulus marks the heart of the lion in Leo. This iconic constellation rises into the night sky in February and dominates spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

For a short time on Feb. 2, the bright edge of the moon will block Regulus, which will reappear from behind it shortly after, though exactly when depends on your exact location.

When and where to watch the moon occult Regulus

According to In-The-Sky.org, the event will be visible across eastern North America, select parts of Africa and extreme southwestern Europe. Eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S. will see both disappearance and reappearance between 8:40 and 10:05 p.m. EST. In Morocco, Algeria, Spain, and Portugal, it will take place between 03:30 and 05:30 GMT on Feb. 3.

Here are some sample times for North America, where the occultation will appear in the eastern sky:

• New York City: Regulus will disappear behind the moon at 8:51 p.m. EST and reappear at 9:54 p.m. EST (about 38 degrees above east)
• Washington D.C: Regulus will disappear behind the moon at 8:51 p.m. EST and reappear at 9:48 p.m. EST.
• Boston: Regulus will disappear behind the moon at 8:53 p.m. EST and reappear at 10:00 p.m. EST.
• Philadelphia: Regulus will disappear behind the moon at 8:51 p.m. EST and reappear at 9:51 p.m. EST.
• Toronto: Regulus will disappear behind the moon at 8:48 p.m. EST and reappear at 9:51 p.m. EST.
• Montréal: Regulus will disappear behind the moon at 8:51 p.m. EST and reappear at 10:00 p.m. EST.
• Chicago: Regulus will disappear behind the moon at 7:43 p.m. CST and reappear at 8:42 p.m. CST.
• Denver: Regulus will disappear behind the moon at 6:40 p.m. MST and reappear at 7:34 p.m. MST (about 10 degrees above east)

Why the moon will occult Regulus

An occultation is when one celestial body passes directly in front of another, blocking it from view as seen from Earth. On Feb. 2, a waning gibbous moon — near-full at 98% illumination just one day after rising as the "Snow Moon" — will move in front of Regulus.

Regulus is one of the very few bright stars that sit almost exactly on the ecliptic (the path of the sun, moon and planets throughout the sky), so it's inevitable that at some point it will appear to be close to the moon and planets at night. Other bright stars on the ecliptic include Spica, Aldebaran and Antares, all of which are occasionally occulted by the moon.

The moon occults these stars in cycles. Regulus is one of the moon's current targets for a monthly close shave; on Jan. 6, the moon occulted Regulus as seen from Russia, China, Mongolia and eastern Kazakhstan, while on Dec. 10, the same happened for observers in Canada, Greenland, Svalbard and Iceland. Geographic visibility varies because of the moon's relative closeness to Earth, which causes the moon's position in the night sky to vary by about one degree depending on where you observe from.

According to EarthSky, the current series of monthly occultations began in July 2025 and will last through December 2026 — and for North America, the occultation on Feb. 2, 2026, is the best one of all. Lunar occultations of Regulus occur in cycles of about 18 months around nine years apart, with the next series beginning in 2035.

Fancy taking a more in-depth moonlit tour of our rocky companion? Our ultimate guide to observing the moon will help you plan your next skywatching venture, whether it be exploring the lunar seas, mountainous terrain, or the many craters that blanket the landscape. You can also see where astronauts, rovers and landers have ventured with our Apollo landing sites observing guide.