Live Sky Report
What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland?
New Moon moon at 0%, Venus shines at magnitude -4.4. Calculated for 46.31°, 7.48° (Europe/Zurich).
Visible planets tonight
Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn, Mars — brightest: Venus at mag -4.4 in Virgo
🔭 Tonight's Sky Report
📍 Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland — Wednesday, August 12
Tonight's sky above Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland
Above Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland tonight, the sky is a live system: the Moon's illumination, which planets have cleared the horizon, and whether Earth's magnetosphere is quiet or churning all change hour by hour.
Above Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland tonight (46.31°, 7.48°), expect a new moon moon at 0% illumination. The night gives 5.7 hours of true astronomical darkness. At 46.3°, aurora needs a strong storm — roughly Kp 6.9 or higher — to reach Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland.
Local sky character in Crans-Montana
Northern mid-latitudes · northern hemisphere · 1547 m elevation
- The north celestial pole stands 46.3° above the horizon, so stars within 46° of it never set from here.
- About 86.2% 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 14.7° up, staying low, so a clear southern horizon matters.
- At 1547 m elevation, roughly 17% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.
Crans-Montana is small enough that local light domes are limited — on a clear, moonless night the Milky Way is realistically within reach.
Astronomy near Crans-Montana
Real great-circle distances from Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland.
- Sphinx Observatory — observatory, 47 km away, 3571 m
Best nights this month in Crans-Montana
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 Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland.
- 2026-08-12 — Perseids peak — up to 100/hour
Radiant in Perseus. Favours the Northern Hemisphere, which includes Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland. 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.
Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland stargazing questions
- What can I see in the sky tonight from Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland?
- Tonight from Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland 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 5.7 hours of true astronomical darkness.
- Does Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland's elevation help stargazing?
- At 1547 m you are above a meaningful fraction of the atmosphere, which reduces extinction and scintillation — the reason major observatories are sited high. Sphinx Observatory sits about 47 km from Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland at 3571 m.
- What should I plan for observing near Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland?
- High sites reward targets that suffer most from atmosphere: planets at high altitude, faint nebulae, and the Milky Way, which culminates around 14.7° here. Cold and thinner air are the practical constraints, not the sky.
- How dark does it actually get in Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland tonight?
- About 5.7 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 Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland.
More in Valais
Other sky reports in the same region.
Sky tonight across Switzerland
Other cities in Switzerland with live sky reports.
Popular astronomy destinations
Aurora hubs, dark-sky sites, and observatory towns.