Tonight’s sky: Moon, planets & ISS

As of September 9, 2026 (UTC) for Georgetown, Guyana (default). Set your own location in the live feed for exact rise/set times.

Tonight at a glance

Planets in dark hours

Active meteor showers

See what’s up tonight: Moon phase, naked-eye planets, meteor showers, ISS passes, and deep-sky targets, calculated live for your location.

Live tools: Planet visibility · ISS passes · Tonight score

Explore by topic: Planets tonight · Meteor showers · Moon tonight · ISS & satellites

Which planets are visible tonight?

Naked-eye planets rise and set on their own schedule, so "visible" depends on your latitude and the hour you go outside. The event feed flags each planet that clears the horizon during dark hours, and the Planet Visibility tool adds rise, peak, and set times plus the direction to face.

Planets Visible Tonight tool · How to read the planet list · Solar System 3D

What's happening with the Moon tonight?

Moon phase drives almost everything else: a bright gibbous Moon washes out faint targets, while the days around new Moon open the sky for the Milky Way and deep-sky objects. Bright "stars" sitting next to the Moon are usually planets, with Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn the common culprits. For the next lunar or solar eclipse contacts and a 3D disc, open the eclipse viewers. This topic stays on phase and illumination.

Moon tonight guide · Lunar Eclipse 3D Viewer · Solar Eclipse Times & Local View · Dark Sky Window (moonless hours) · Milky Way Season Planner

Are there meteor showers tonight?

Major showers peak on predictable dates but stay active for days or weeks either side. Rates are best after local midnight when your side of Earth turns into the debris stream, and the radiant tells you which way to face, though meteors can appear anywhere in the sky.

Meteor showers tonight · 2026 meteor calendar · Moonlight impact on faint targets

What nebulae, galaxies, and clusters are up?

Deep-sky targets need darkness more than magnification. Under Bortle 7–8 city skies you will mostly catch bright open clusters; under Bortle 3 or darker, nebulae, globular clusters, and galaxies come within reach of binoculars and small scopes.

Bortle scale map · Deep sky objects lesson

Can I see the ISS or satellites tonight?

The ISS is only visible when it is sunlit while your sky is already dark, which limits passes to the hour or two after dusk and before dawn. Bright, steady, fast-moving "stars" with no blinking lights are almost always satellites rather than aircraft.

ISS & satellites guide · ISS Pass Predictor · Satellite passes lesson

Is tonight actually good for stargazing?

Clear-sky forecasts alone are misleading in humid or tropical climates, because dew, haze, and aerosol transparency matter just as much as cloud cover. The Tonight score folds those into a single 0–100 Go / Maybe / Skip call for your coordinates.

Tonight score · Stargazing weather · Tonight by city

Frequently asked questions

What's in the sky tonight?

Tonight you can typically expect some mix of naked-eye planets, the Moon at its current phase, bright stars and constellations, plus any active meteor shower or ISS pass. This page calculates the actual list for your date and location instead of a generic almanac.

What planets are visible tonight from my location?

Set your location (GPS or a preset) and the feed lists each planet above the horizon during dark hours, with the best viewing window. Planets Visible Tonight adds rise, peak, and set times plus the compass direction to face.

What are the two bright stars in the sky tonight?

Pairs of bright "stars" close together are usually planets, and Venus with Jupiter, or Jupiter with Saturn, are the most common. Check Planet Visibility for the current positions; if both objects are steady and do not twinkle much, they are planets.

What is the bright star next to the Moon tonight?

The Moon passes close to bright planets and first-magnitude stars every month. Compare the object bearing and altitude in the planet list first, because Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn account for most Moon pairings, followed by stars like Antares, Spica, Aldebaran, and Regulus.

What nebulae or galaxies are visible tonight?

That depends on your sky darkness more than your equipment. From Bortle 1–4 sites, targets like the Orion Nebula, Lagoon Nebula, Omega Centauri, and the Magellanic Clouds are realistic; from Bortle 7–9 city skies, stick to bright clusters, the Moon, and planets.

When is the next meteor shower?

Open /sky-events/meteor-showers/ for showers active tonight, the next major peak date, and where to look after midnight. Pair with Tonight score for weather and Dark Sky Window for Moon impact. Rates usually improve after local midnight under dark skies.

When is the next lunar or solar eclipse?

Lunar: /tools/eclipse-viewer/ for next-event contact times, Moon direction, and a 3D umbra disc. Solar: /tools/solar-eclipse-viewer/ for local C1–C4 times, obscuration, and a Sun disc (ISO 12312-2 glasses required). Moon phase tonight stays on /sky-events/moon-tonight/, and there is no /sky-events/eclipses/ route.

What was that light moving across the sky?

A steady, non-blinking point that crosses the sky in a few minutes is almost always a satellite or the ISS. Blinking lights are aircraft, a brief streak is a meteor, and something that stays fixed relative to the stars is a planet or star.

Does this work outside Guyana?

Yes. Georgetown, Guyana is the default because the site is built there, but every calculation accepts any latitude and longitude. Use the location controls, or start from a city hub for a preset.

Plan tonight with Planet visibility · ISS passes · Tonight score · Solar System 3D · Bortle scale map · Dark sky window · Lunar Eclipse 3D Viewer · Solar Eclipse Times & Local View · Stargazing weather

Learn: Is tonight good for stargazing? · How to see the Milky Way · Meteor showers, your first sky event · Deep sky objects introduction

Sky tonight by city · All free tools

Tools · Learn