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 Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland?

Tonight from Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland 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 2.8 hours of true astronomical darkness.

How likely are the northern lights in Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland?

Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland sits at 55.1° N, inside the latitude range the auroral oval reaches on ordinary active nights — the oval sits near 58° geomagnetic latitude at Kp 3. A stronger disturbance — around Kp 3.9 — is still needed for the display to reach overhead.

What time of night is best for aurora watching in Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland?

Auroral substorms cluster around local magnetic midnight, so the hours either side of midnight are statistically strongest. You also need real darkness: this page's dusk and dawn times mark the usable window, and the window is longest around the winter months.

Do I need to leave Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland to see the aurora?

Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland is small enough that local sky glow is not the limiting factor; a clear view toward the northern horizon and clear weather matter more.

How dark does it actually get in Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland tonight?

About 2.8 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 Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland?

New Moon moon at 0%, Venus shines at magnitude -4.4. Calculated for 55.13°, -7.45° (Europe/Dublin).

Moon

New Moon

0% lit

Sunset

9:08 PM

Dusk 12:12 AM

Dark hours

2.8 h

Dawn 2:57 AM

Aurora

Needs Kp 3.9+

Belt 58°

Visible planets tonight

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

🔭 Tonight's Sky Report

📍 Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland — 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 Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland

Skywatchers in Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland have the same live tools professional observers use — a real ephemeris, live Kp readings from NOAA SWPC, and hourly cloud forecasts — condensed into one report on this page.

Above Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland tonight (55.13°, -7.45°), expect a new moon moon at 0% illumination. The night gives 2.8 hours of true astronomical darkness. At 55.1°, aurora needs a strong storm — roughly Kp 3.9 or higher — to reach Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland.

Local sky character in Buncrana

Northern mid-latitudes · northern hemisphere · 20 m elevation

The north celestial pole stands 55.1° above the horizon, so stars within 55° of it never set from here.
About 91% 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 5.9° up, staying low, so a clear southern horizon matters.
At 20 m elevation, roughly 0% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.

Pole altitude

55.1°

Sky reachable

91%

Milky Way core

5.9° max

Aurora borealis

Kp 3.9+

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

Best nights this month in Buncrana

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 Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland.
2026-08-12 — Perseids peak — up to 100/hour
Radiant in Perseus. Favours the Northern Hemisphere, which includes Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland. 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.

Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland?: Tonight from Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland 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 2.8 hours of true astronomical darkness.
How likely are the northern lights in Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland?: Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland sits at 55.1° N, inside the latitude range the auroral oval reaches on ordinary active nights — the oval sits near 58° geomagnetic latitude at Kp 3. A stronger disturbance — around Kp 3.9 — is still needed for the display to reach overhead.
What time of night is best for aurora watching in Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland?: Auroral substorms cluster around local magnetic midnight, so the hours either side of midnight are statistically strongest. You also need real darkness: this page's dusk and dawn times mark the usable window, and the window is longest around the winter months.
Do I need to leave Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland to see the aurora?: Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland is small enough that local sky glow is not the limiting factor; a clear view toward the northern horizon and clear weather matter more.
How dark does it actually get in Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland tonight?: About 2.8 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 Buncrana, Ulster, Ireland.

More in Ulster

Other sky reports in the same region.

Sky tonight across Ireland

Other cities in Ireland with live sky reports.

Popular astronomy destinations

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