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Live Sky Report

What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica?

Waxing Gibbous moon at 61%, Saturn shines at magnitude 0.3. Calculated for 9.86°, -83.92° (America/Costa_Rica).

Moon
Waxing Gibbous
61% lit
Sunset
5:16 PM
Dusk 6:27 PM
Dark hours
9.8 h
Dawn 4:13 AM
Aurora
Needs Kp 9+
Belt 58°

Visible planets tonight

Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury — brightest: Saturn at mag 0.3 in Cetus

🔭 Tonight's Sky Report

📍 Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica — Monday, October 19

⭐ StargazingWeather telemetry updating
🌙 MoonWaxing Gibbous • 61% Illumination
🪐 Visible planetsMercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn
🌠 Meteor activityOrionids in 1 day
🌌 Milky WayMuted by moonlight tonight
🛰️ ISSISS pass predictions unavailable
🌈 AuroraUnlikely — Quiet (Kp 0.3)
☁️ Cloud coverWeather telemetry updating
🌡️ TemperatureWeather telemetry updating

Space weather observed: 3:00 PM UTC

Tonight's sky above Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica

Skywatchers in Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica 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.

Local sky character in Cartago

Tropical / equatorial latitudes · northern hemisphere · 1440 m elevation

  • The north celestial pole stands 9.9° above the horizon, so stars within 10° of it never set from here.
  • About 58.6% 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 51.1° up, clearing the horizon haze comfortably.
  • The Large Magellanic Cloud only reaches about 10.4° altitude, so it is a low, seasonal target rather than a year-round one.
  • At 1440 m elevation, roughly 16% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.
Pole altitude
9.9°
Sky reachable
58.6%
Milky Way core
51.1° max
Aurora borealis
Kp 9+

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

Loading live sky conditions…

Best nights this month in Cartago

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

  • 2026-10-21 — Orionids peak — up to 20/hour

    Radiant in Orion. Visible from both hemispheres. The Moon is 72% lit on peak night, so lunar interference is moderate.

  • 2026-10-25 — 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.

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

    Radiant in Taurus. Favours the Northern Hemisphere, which includes Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica. The Moon is 18% lit on peak night, so lunar interference is low.

  • 2026-11-08 — 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 Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica.

  • 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.

Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica?
Tonight from Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica expect a waxing gibbous Moon at 61% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury. The night offers about 9.8 hours of true astronomical darkness.
What planets are visible tonight in Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica?
Tonight in Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica, Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury are visible to the naked eye after dark, based on this location's real ephemeris for tonight.
When does darkness start tonight in Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica?
Astronomical darkness begins at 6:27 PM local time in Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica 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 Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica?
Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica 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 Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica?
Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica is a small town — typically Bortle class 1–4 (rural to excellent dark sky), where the Milky Way is usually visible on clear, moonless nights away from local lighting. 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 Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica?
Yes — this is the real advantage of an equatorial location. At 9.9° N, about 58.6% 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 Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica?
The Galactic Centre culminates around 51.1° 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 Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica?
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 Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica tonight?
About 9.8 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 Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica.

More in Cartago Province

Other sky reports in the same region.

Sky tonight across Costa Rica

Other cities in Costa Rica with live sky reports.

Popular astronomy destinations

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

🛰️ ISS Visibility

No visible ISS passes currently predicted for this location.

☄️ Orionids peaks in 1 day

Up to 20 meteors/hour at peak, radiating from Orion.

Full viewing guide →

Related astronomy for Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this just astronomy weather for Cartago?

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 Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica.

What are tonight's astronomy viewing conditions for Cartago?

The sky viewing conditions badge above reflects the real astronomy viewing conditions for Cartago, Cartago Province, Costa Rica right now -- cloud cover, darkness, and moon interference combined, not moon phase alone. Good weather for stargazing depends on all of these together.