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 Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom?

Tonight from Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom expect a new moon Moon at 0% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn, Mars. At this latitude the Sun may not drop 18° below the horizon tonight, so full astronomical darkness is not reached.

How likely are the northern lights in Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom?

Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom sits at 60.2° N, inside the latitude range the auroral oval reaches on ordinary active nights — the oval sits near 58° geomagnetic latitude at Kp 3. That means aurora is a realistic prospect here whenever geomagnetic activity lifts above the quiet baseline, not only during major storms.

What time of night is best for aurora watching in Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom?

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 in mid-summer that window can close entirely at this latitude.

Do I need to leave Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom to see the aurora?

Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom 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 Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom tonight?

Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom is far enough from the equator that at this time of year the Sun stays above −18°, so astronomical darkness is not reached tonight — a normal feature of high-latitude summers, not a data error.

Live Sky Report

What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom?

New Moon moon at 0%, Venus shines at magnitude -4.4. Calculated for 60.15°, -1.14° (Europe/London).

Moon

New Moon

0% lit

Sunset

9:04 PM

Dusk —

Dark hours

—

Dawn —

Aurora

Possible

Belt 58°

Visible planets tonight

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

🔭 Tonight's Sky Report

📍 Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom — 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 Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom

Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom's sky tonight is a real, computable state — every value on this page comes from live NOAA space weather data, live orbital elements for the ISS, and astronomy-engine's ephemeris for the Sun, Moon, and planets.

Above Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom tonight (60.15°, -1.14°), expect a new moon moon at 0% illumination. At 60.2°, aurora is possible from here whenever Kp climbs above quiet baseline.

Local sky character in Lerwick

Northern high latitudes · northern hemisphere

The north celestial pole stands 60.2° above the horizon, so stars within 60° of it never set from here.
About 93.4% 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 0.8° up, staying low, so a clear southern horizon matters.
Above 60° the observing year is strongly seasonal: mid-summer nights may never reach astronomical darkness, while mid-winter delivers very long dark windows.

Pole altitude

60.2°

Sky reachable

93.4%

Milky Way core

0.8° max

Aurora borealis

Reachable

Lerwick 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 Lerwick

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 Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom.
2026-08-12 — Perseids peak — up to 100/hour
Radiant in Perseus. Favours the Northern Hemisphere, which includes Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom. 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.

Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom?: Tonight from Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom expect a new moon Moon at 0% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn, Mars. At this latitude the Sun may not drop 18° below the horizon tonight, so full astronomical darkness is not reached.
How likely are the northern lights in Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom?: Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom sits at 60.2° N, inside the latitude range the auroral oval reaches on ordinary active nights — the oval sits near 58° geomagnetic latitude at Kp 3. That means aurora is a realistic prospect here whenever geomagnetic activity lifts above the quiet baseline, not only during major storms.
What time of night is best for aurora watching in Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom?: 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 in mid-summer that window can close entirely at this latitude.
Do I need to leave Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom to see the aurora?: Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom 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 Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom tonight?: Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom is far enough from the equator that at this time of year the Sun stays above −18°, so astronomical darkness is not reached tonight — a normal feature of high-latitude summers, not a data error.

Nearby cities

Real great-circle distance from Lerwick, Scotland, United Kingdom.

More in Scotland

Other sky reports in the same region.

Sky tonight across United Kingdom

Other cities in United Kingdom with live sky reports.

Popular astronomy destinations

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