The night sky on your birthday: February 16
February 16 is day 47 of the year. Here is what the sky holds for everyone born on it — and a way to get the real sky above the exact place and hour you were born.
The Sun's constellation on February 16
On your birthday the Sun stands in front of Capricornus, even though horoscopes call February 16 Aquarius: the zodiac signs were fixed about 2,000 years ago and the sky has drifted since (precession of the equinoxes). Because the Sun is in Capricornus, that constellation is hidden in daylight on your birthday: you see it best around six months later.
Overhead at midnight on February 16
- Northern hemisphere (40°N — New York, Madrid, Beijing): Leo Minor, Lynx, Ursa Major and Leo; brightest stars high up: Pollux (63°), Castor (63°) and Regulus (61°).
- Southern hemisphere (40°S — Melbourne, Buenos Aires region, Wellington): Vela, Antlia, Pyxis and Carina; brightest stars high up: Gacrux (58°), Acrux (57°) and Mimosa (55°).
Meteor showers around February 16
No major annual meteor shower is active on this date — the sky is all stars and planets.
The Moon on your next birthday
On the evening of February 16, 2027 the Moon will be waxing gibbous (78% lit): bright moonlight will wash out the faint stars.
The exact sky of the night you were born
These are averages for a latitude. Your own sky depends on the city, the year and the hour: Firmament draws the real stars, constellations, Moon and planets above your birthplace at your birth time, as a print-ready A3 poster — $4.99, delivered instantly as a PDF.
Make the sky of the night you were born — $4.99
Set your year and city on the next page; the day and month are already filled in.