What planets are visible tonight?

Which planets are visible depends on your date and location. Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn are the four naked-eye planets that are frequently visible; Mercury is visible only in brief windows near sunrise or sunset. Enter your city above and the report will list the planets currently above the horizon after dark.

Can I see the Northern Lights tonight?

Aurora visibility depends on the Kp index and your geomagnetic latitude. At Kp 3, aurora is typically visible only near the Arctic and Antarctic circles. At Kp 5 (a G1 storm), the auroral oval expands south into the northern U.S. and northern Europe. At Kp 7+ it can reach mid-latitudes. The report above compares your latitude to the current auroral boundary in real time.

Is there a meteor shower tonight?

There are around a dozen major meteor showers each year. The report above shows the next active shower and how many days until its peak. For best viewing, look after midnight from a dark location with the shower's radiant above the horizon.

When will the ISS pass over tonight?

The International Space Station passes overhead multiple times per day, but only some passes are visible (bright, after dusk or before dawn, and above the horizon). The report above shows the next visible pass time for your location, computed from live NORAD orbital elements.

What can I see in the sky tonight from Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany?

Tonight from Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany 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 4.5 hours of true astronomical darkness.

Does Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's elevation help stargazing?

At 237 m you are above a meaningful fraction of the atmosphere, which reduces extinction and scintillation — the reason major observatories are sited high. Effelsberg Radio Telescope sits about 113 km from Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany at 319 m.

What should I plan for observing near Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany?

High sites reward targets that suffer most from atmosphere: planets at high altitude, faint nebulae, and the Milky Way, which culminates around 9.7° here. Cold and thinner air are the practical constraints, not the sky.

How dark does it actually get in Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany tonight?

About 4.5 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.

Live Sky Report

What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany?

New Moon moon at 0%, Venus shines at magnitude -4.4. Calculated for 51.33°, 7.86° (Europe/Berlin).

Moon

New Moon

0% lit

Sunset

8:54 PM

Dusk 11:18 PM

Dark hours

4.5 h

Dawn 3:48 AM

Aurora

Needs Kp 5.2+

Belt 58°

Visible planets tonight

Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn, Mars — brightest: Venus at mag -4.4 in Virgo

🔭 Tonight's Sky Report

📍 Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany — Wednesday, August 12

⭐ Stargazing—

🌙 MoonNew Moon • 0% Illumination

🪐 Visible planetsMars, Saturn

🌠 Meteor activityDraconids in 57 days

🌌 Milky WayVisible after dark, low moonlight

🛰️ ISSLoading…

🌈 Aurora—

☁️ Cloud cover—

🌡️ Temperature—

Tonight's sky above Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Whether tonight is a good night for stargazing from Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany comes down to four real things: the Moon phase, cloud cover, which planets are up, and the current Kp index.

Above Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany tonight (51.33°, 7.86°), expect a new moon moon at 0% illumination. The night gives 4.5 hours of true astronomical darkness. At 51.3°, aurora needs a strong storm — roughly Kp 5.2 or higher — to reach Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Local sky character in Balve

Northern mid-latitudes · northern hemisphere · 237 m elevation

The north celestial pole stands 51.3° above the horizon, so stars within 51° of it never set from here.
About 89% 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 9.7° up, staying low, so a clear southern horizon matters.
At 237 m elevation, roughly 3% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.

Pole altitude

51.3°

Sky reachable

89%

Milky Way core

9.7° max

Aurora borealis

Kp 5.2+

Balve is small enough that local light domes are limited — on a clear, moonless night the Milky Way is realistically within reach.

Astronomy near Balve

Real great-circle distances from Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Effelsberg Radio Telescope — observatory, 113 km away, 319 m
Eifel National Park Dark Sky Park — dark-sky place, 131 km away, 500 m

Best nights this month in Balve

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 Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
2026-08-12 — Perseids peak — up to 100/hour
Radiant in Perseus. Favours the Northern Hemisphere, which includes Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. 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.

Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany?: Tonight from Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany 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 4.5 hours of true astronomical darkness.
Does Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's elevation help stargazing?: At 237 m you are above a meaningful fraction of the atmosphere, which reduces extinction and scintillation — the reason major observatories are sited high. Effelsberg Radio Telescope sits about 113 km from Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany at 319 m.
What should I plan for observing near Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany?: High sites reward targets that suffer most from atmosphere: planets at high altitude, faint nebulae, and the Milky Way, which culminates around 9.7° here. Cold and thinner air are the practical constraints, not the sky.
How dark does it actually get in Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany tonight?: About 4.5 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 Balve, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

More in North Rhine-Westphalia

Other sky reports in the same region.

Sky tonight across Germany

Other cities in Germany with live sky reports.

Popular astronomy destinations

Aurora hubs, dark-sky sites, and observatory towns.