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Live Sky Report

What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso?

Waning Crescent moon at 13%, Saturn shines at magnitude 0.4. Calculated for 10.64°, -4.75° (Africa/Ouagadougou).

Moon
Waning Crescent
13% lit
Sunset
5:53 PM
Dusk 7:06 PM
Dark hours
9.9 h
Dawn 4:59 AM
Aurora
Needs Kp 9+
Belt 58°

Visible planets tonight

Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Venus — brightest: Saturn at mag 0.4 in Cetus

🔭 Tonight's Sky Report

📍 Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso — Thursday, November 5

⭐ StargazingPoor
🌙 MoonWaning Crescent • 13% Illumination
🪐 Visible planetsVenus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn
🌠 Meteor activityLeonids in 11 days
🌌 Milky WayVisible after dark, low moonlight
🛰️ ISSISS pass times load on page open
🌈 AuroraUnlikely — Quiet (Kp 0.7)
☁️ Cloud cover80%
🌡️ Temperature92°F

Weather observed: 4:00 PM UTC · Space weather observed: 12:00 PM UTC

Tonight's sky above Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso

Whether tonight is a good night for stargazing from Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso comes down to four real things: the Moon phase, cloud cover, which planets are up, and the current Kp index.

Local sky character in Banfora

Tropical / equatorial latitudes · northern hemisphere · 304 m elevation

  • The north celestial pole stands 10.6° above the horizon, so stars within 11° of it never set from here.
  • About 59.2% 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 50.4° up, clearing the horizon haze comfortably.
  • The Large Magellanic Cloud only reaches about 9.7° altitude, so it is a low, seasonal target rather than a year-round one.
  • At 304 m elevation, roughly 4% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.
Pole altitude
10.6°
Sky reachable
59.2%
Milky Way core
50.4° max
Aurora borealis
Kp 9+

Banfora is a town-scale settlement, so the edge of the built-up area is often dark enough for the Milky Way on moonless nights.

FairSky Viewing Conditions tonight

What does this mean for you?

Your Sky Briefing

Right now
The sky is currently too bright for stargazing or aurora viewing.
Tonight
Cloud cover is the main factor limiting visibility tonight.
Aurora
Current geomagnetic activity (Kp 0.7, quiet) is not strong enough to bring the aurora to your latitude.
Weather
No significant rain, wind or temperature extremes are expected overnight.

Conditions tonight are mixed -- check the details below.

What is a geomagnetic storm?How do auroras form?

Best nights this month in Banfora

Calculated for these coordinates and today's date — not a fixed list.

  • 2026-11-05 — Taurids peak — up to 5/hour

    Radiant in Taurus. Favours the Northern Hemisphere, which includes Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso. The Moon is 18% lit on peak night, so lunar interference is low.

  • 2026-11-09 — 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 Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso.

  • 2026-11-17 — Leonids peak — up to 15/hour

    Radiant in Leo. Visible from both hemispheres. The Moon is 45% lit on peak night, so lunar interference is moderate.

  • 2026-11-24 — 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.

Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso?
Tonight from Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso expect a waning crescent Moon at 13% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Venus. The night offers about 9.9 hours of true astronomical darkness.
What planets are visible tonight in Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso?
Tonight in Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso, Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Venus are visible to the naked eye after dark, based on this location's real ephemeris for tonight.
When does darkness start tonight in Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso?
Astronomical darkness begins at 7:06 PM local time in Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso tonight, the moment the Sun drops more than 18° below the horizon and the sky becomes fully dark for faint-object observing.
Can you see the aurora tonight in Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso?
Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso is far enough from the pole that aurora only reaches overhead during a major geomagnetic storm — specifically when the planetary Kp index reaches about 9, a level reached only a handful of times per solar cycle.
What is the stargazing light pollution level in Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso?
Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso is a small city — typically Bortle class 4–5 (rural/suburban transition), where the Milky Way core can be glimpsed on clear, moonless nights. These are typical ranges for this population size, not a measured reading for this exact spot — use tonight's Moon phase and the best-nights list above to time a visit away from direct lighting.
Can I see both northern and southern constellations from Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso?
Yes — this is the real advantage of an equatorial location. At 10.6° N, about 59.2% of the entire celestial sphere rises at some point in the year, so Polaris-side constellations and the Southern Cross region are both reachable across the seasons.
How good is the Milky Way from Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso?
The Galactic Centre culminates around 50.4° above the horizon from here, high enough to clear most horizon haze. Local cloud and humidity, not geometry, are usually the limiting factor at tropical latitudes.
Are there seasons for stargazing in Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso?
Night length barely changes at this latitude — twilight is short and the Sun sets steeply, so darkness arrives quickly all year. What changes is which part of the sky is on view after sunset, and, in monsoon-affected regions, how often the sky is clear at all.
How dark does it actually get in Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso tonight?
About 9.9 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 Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso.

More in Cascades Region

Other sky reports in the same region.

Sky tonight across Burkina Faso

Other cities in Burkina Faso with live sky reports.

Popular astronomy destinations

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

☄️ Leonids peaks in 11 days

Up to 15 meteors/hour at peak, radiating from Leo.

Full viewing guide →

Related astronomy for Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this just astronomy weather for Banfora?

This page goes beyond ordinary astronomy weather -- it combines real local weather for astronomy, live space weather, and the space weather aurora connection into one live report for Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso.

What are tonight's astronomy viewing conditions for Banfora?

The sky viewing conditions badge above reflects the real astronomy viewing conditions for Banfora, Cascades Region, Burkina Faso right now -- cloud cover, darkness, and moon interference combined, not moon phase alone. Good weather for stargazing depends on all of these together.