The Second Palomar Sky Survey (POSS-II) is now nearing completion. It will cover the entire northern sky with 894 fields (6.5° square) at 5° spacings, with no gaps in the coverage. Plates are taken in three bands: IIIa-J + GG395, λeff ∼ 480 nm; IIIa-F + RG610, λeff ∼ 650 nm; and IV-N + RG9, λeff ∼ 850 nm. Typical limiting magnitudes reached are BJ ∼ 22.5, RF ∼ 20.8, and IN ∼ 19.5, i.e., ∼ 1m −1.5m deeper than the POSS-I. The image quality is improved relative to the POSS-I, and is comparable to the southern photographic sky surveys. For more details, see Reid et al. (1987), and Reid & Djorgovski (1993).