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 Choma, Southern Province, Zambia?

Tonight from Choma, Southern Province, Zambia expect a waxing crescent Moon at 30% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury. The night offers about 9.1 hours of true astronomical darkness.

What planets are visible tonight in Choma, Southern Province, Zambia?

Tonight in Choma, Southern Province, Zambia, 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 Choma, Southern Province, Zambia?

Astronomical darkness begins at 7:25 PM local time in Choma, Southern Province, Zambia 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 Choma, Southern Province, Zambia?

Choma, Southern Province, Zambia 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 Choma, Southern Province, Zambia?

Choma, Southern Province, Zambia 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.

Is light pollution a problem in Choma, Southern Province, Zambia?

Choma, Southern Province, Zambia is small enough that the Milky Way can be visible on clear, moonless nights away from the immediate centre. This page's Moon and darkness figures tell you the other half of the story.

When can I see the Milky Way from Choma, Southern Province, Zambia?

The core reaches about 77.8° altitude, so target the moonless nights listed in the best-nights section and get away from the city core.

How dark does it actually get in Choma, Southern Province, Zambia tonight?

About 9.1 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.

Live Sky Report

What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in Choma, Southern Province, Zambia?

Waxing Crescent moon at 30%, Saturn shines at magnitude 0.3. Calculated for -16.81°, 26.99° (Africa/Lusaka).

Moon

Waxing Crescent

30% lit

Sunset

6:12 PM

Dusk 7:25 PM

Dark hours

9.1 h

Dawn 4:29 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

📍 Choma, Southern Province, Zambia — Friday, October 16

Live cloud cover, temperature, ISS passes and aurora odds load in your browser and need JavaScript. The moon, planet and meteor rows below are calculated without it.

⭐ StargazingWeather telemetry updating

🌙 MoonWaxing Crescent • 30% Illumination

🪐 Visible planetsMercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn

🌠 Meteor activityOrionids in 5 days

🌌 Milky WayVisible after dark, low moonlight

🛰️ ISSNo visible ISS pass in the next 5 predicted passes

🌈 AuroraUnlikely — Quiet (Kp 1.7)

☁️ Cloud coverWeather telemetry updating

🌡️ TemperatureWeather telemetry updating

Space weather observed: 6:00 AM UTC

Tonight's sky above Choma, Southern Province, Zambia

Whether tonight is a good night for stargazing from Choma, Southern Province, Zambia comes down to four real things: the Moon phase, cloud cover, which planets are up, and the current Kp index.

Local sky character in Choma

Tropical / equatorial latitudes · southern hemisphere · 1317 m elevation

The south celestial pole stands 16.8° above the horizon, so stars within 17° of it never set from here.
About 64.5% 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 77.8° up, passing almost directly overhead.
The Large Magellanic Cloud only reaches about 37.1° altitude, so it is a low, seasonal target rather than a year-round one.
At 1317 m elevation, roughly 14% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.

Pole altitude

16.8°

Sky reachable

64.5%

Milky Way core

77.8° max

Aurora australis

Kp 9+

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

Loading live sky conditions…

Best nights this month in Choma

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 99%-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.
2026-11-09 — 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 Choma, Southern Province, Zambia.

Choma, Southern Province, Zambia stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Choma, Southern Province, Zambia?: Tonight from Choma, Southern Province, Zambia expect a waxing crescent Moon at 30% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury. The night offers about 9.1 hours of true astronomical darkness.
What planets are visible tonight in Choma, Southern Province, Zambia?: Tonight in Choma, Southern Province, Zambia, 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 Choma, Southern Province, Zambia?: Astronomical darkness begins at 7:25 PM local time in Choma, Southern Province, Zambia 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 Choma, Southern Province, Zambia?: Choma, Southern Province, Zambia 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 Choma, Southern Province, Zambia?: Choma, Southern Province, Zambia 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.
Is light pollution a problem in Choma, Southern Province, Zambia?: Choma, Southern Province, Zambia is small enough that the Milky Way can be visible on clear, moonless nights away from the immediate centre. This page's Moon and darkness figures tell you the other half of the story.
When can I see the Milky Way from Choma, Southern Province, Zambia?: The core reaches about 77.8° altitude, so target the moonless nights listed in the best-nights section and get away from the city core.
How dark does it actually get in Choma, Southern Province, Zambia tonight?: About 9.1 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 Choma, Southern Province, Zambia.

More in Southern Province

Other sky reports in the same region.

Sky tonight across Zambia

Other cities in Zambia 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 5 days

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

Full viewing guide →

Related astronomy for Choma, Southern Province, Zambia

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this just astronomy weather for Choma?

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 Choma, Southern Province, Zambia.

What are tonight's astronomy viewing conditions for Choma?

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