Live Sky Report
What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in Arai, Niigata, Japan?
New Moon moon at 0%, Venus shines at magnitude -4.4. Calculated for 37.00°, 138.23° (Asia/Tokyo).
Visible planets tonight
Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn, Mars — brightest: Venus at mag -4.4 in Virgo
🔭 Tonight's Sky Report
📍 Arai, Niigata, Japan — Wednesday, August 12
Tonight's sky above Arai, Niigata, Japan
Whether tonight is a good night for stargazing from Arai, Niigata, Japan comes down to four real things: the Moon phase, cloud cover, which planets are up, and the current Kp index.
Above Arai, Niigata, Japan tonight (37.00°, 138.23°), expect a new moon moon at 0% illumination. The night gives 7.1 hours of true astronomical darkness. At 37.0°, aurora needs a strong storm — roughly Kp 9 or higher — to reach Arai, Niigata, Japan.
Local sky character in Arai
Northern mid-latitudes · northern hemisphere · 175 m elevation
- The north celestial pole stands 37° above the horizon, so stars within 37° of it never set from here.
- About 80.1% of the whole sky rises above the horizon at some point in the year from this latitude.
- The Milky Way's core in Sagittarius culminates about 24° up, staying low, so a clear southern horizon matters.
- At 175 m elevation, roughly 2% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.
Arai is small enough that local light domes are limited — on a clear, moonless night the Milky Way is realistically within reach.
Astronomy near Arai
Real great-circle distances from Arai, Niigata, Japan.
- Nobeyama Radio Observatory — observatory, 120 km away, 1350 m
Best nights this month in Arai
Calculated for these coordinates and today's date — not a fixed list.
- 2026-08-12 — Darkest night of the coming month
The Moon is only 0% illuminated, giving the least lunar interference in the next 30 nights — the best window for the Milky Way and faint deep-sky targets from Arai, Niigata, Japan.
- 2026-08-12 — Perseids peak — up to 100/hour
Radiant in Perseus. Favours the Northern Hemisphere, which includes Arai, Niigata, Japan. The Moon is 2% lit on peak night, so lunar interference is none.
- 2026-08-27 — Full Moon
A 100%-lit Moon washes out faint objects, but lunar terrain along the limb is at its most striking — plan bright targets and planets instead of deep sky.
Arai, Niigata, Japan stargazing questions
- What can I see in the sky tonight from Arai, Niigata, Japan?
- Tonight from Arai, Niigata, Japan expect a new moon Moon at 0% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn, Mars. The night offers about 7.1 hours of true astronomical darkness.
- Does Arai, Niigata, Japan's elevation help stargazing?
- At 175 m you are above a meaningful fraction of the atmosphere, which reduces extinction and scintillation — the reason major observatories are sited high. Nobeyama Radio Observatory sits about 120 km from Arai, Niigata, Japan at 1350 m.
- What should I plan for observing near Arai, Niigata, Japan?
- High sites reward targets that suffer most from atmosphere: planets at high altitude, faint nebulae, and the Milky Way, which culminates around 24° here. Cold and thinner air are the practical constraints, not the sky.
- How dark does it actually get in Arai, Niigata, Japan tonight?
- About 7.1 hours of astronomical darkness (Sun more than 18° below the horizon). That is the real observing window for faint objects; brighter targets are workable from dusk onward.
Nearby cities
Real great-circle distance from Arai, Niigata, Japan.
More in Niigata
Other sky reports in the same region.
Sky tonight across Japan
Other cities in Japan with live sky reports.
Popular astronomy destinations
Aurora hubs, dark-sky sites, and observatory towns.