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Live Sky Report

What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi?

Waxing Crescent moon at 24%, Saturn shines at magnitude 0.3. Calculated for -13.97°, 33.79° (Africa/Blantyre).

Moon
Waxing Crescent
24% lit
Sunset
5:42 PM
Dusk 6:55 PM
Dark hours
9.2 h
Dawn 4:05 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

📍 Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi — Thursday, October 15

⭐ StargazingWeather telemetry updating
🌙 MoonWaxing Crescent • 24% 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 3.0)
☁️ Cloud coverWeather telemetry updating
🌡️ TemperatureWeather telemetry updating

Space weather observed: 3:00 PM UTC

Tonight's sky above Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi

Above Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi 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.

Local sky character in Lilongwe

Tropical / equatorial latitudes · southern hemisphere · 1056 m elevation

  • The south celestial pole stands 14° above the horizon, so stars within 14° of it never set from here.
  • About 62.1% 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 75° up, passing almost directly overhead.
  • The Large Magellanic Cloud only reaches about 34.3° altitude, so it is a low, seasonal target rather than a year-round one.
  • At 1056 m elevation, roughly 12% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.
Pole altitude
14°
Sky reachable
62.1%
Milky Way core
75° max
Aurora australis
Kp 9+

With a population above one million, Lilongwe produces significant sky glow: expect the Moon, planets and bright stars from the centre, and travel outward for the Milky Way.

Loading live sky conditions…

Best nights this month in Lilongwe

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.

  • 2026-11-09 — 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 Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi.

Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi?
Tonight from Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi expect a waxing crescent Moon at 24% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury. The night offers about 9.2 hours of true astronomical darkness.
What planets are visible tonight in Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi?
Tonight in Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi, 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 Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi?
Astronomical darkness begins at 6:55 PM local time in Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi 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 Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi?
Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi 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 Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi?
Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi is a large metropolitan area — typically Bortle class 7–9 (bright, inner-city sky), where only the Moon, planets, and the brightest stars are visible. 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 Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi?
Yes — this is the real advantage of an equatorial location. At 14.0° S, about 62.1% 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 Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi?
The Galactic Centre culminates around 75° above the horizon from here, which is nearly overhead — the densest part of the Milky Way passes through the zenith region, the best geometry available anywhere on Earth. Local cloud and humidity, not geometry, are usually the limiting factor at tropical latitudes.
Are there seasons for stargazing in Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi?
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 Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi tonight?
About 9.2 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 Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi.

More in Central Region

Other sky reports in the same region.

Sky tonight across Malawi

Other cities in Malawi 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 Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this just astronomy weather for Lilongwe?

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 Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi.

What are tonight's astronomy viewing conditions for Lilongwe?

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