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 Los Angeles, CA?

Tonight from Los Angeles, CA expect a waxing gibbous Moon at 66% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Mars, Saturn, Jupiter. The night offers about 10.1 hours of true astronomical darkness.

What planets are visible tonight in Los Angeles, CA?

Tonight in Los Angeles, CA, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter are visible to the naked eye after dark, based on this location's real ephemeris for tonight.

When does darkness start tonight in Los Angeles, CA?

Astronomical darkness begins at 7:36 PM local time in Los Angeles, CA 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 Los Angeles, CA?

Los Angeles, CA 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 Los Angeles, CA?

Los Angeles, CA doesn't have a population figure in our location data, so we can't estimate a sky-glow category here. A dedicated light-pollution map will give a precise reading for this spot.

Does Los Angeles, CA's elevation help stargazing?

Elevation nearby is significant enough that observatory-grade sites exist in the region. Mount Wilson Observatory sits about 26 km from Los Angeles, CA at 1742 m.

What should I plan for observing near Los Angeles, CA?

High sites reward targets that suffer most from atmosphere: planets at high altitude, faint nebulae, and the Milky Way, which culminates around 26.9° here. Cold and thinner air are the practical constraints, not the sky.

How dark does it actually get in Los Angeles, CA tonight?

About 10.1 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 Los Angeles, CA?

Waxing Gibbous moon at 66%, Mars shines at magnitude 1.0. Calculated for 34.05°, -118.24° (America/Los_Angeles).

Moon

Waxing Gibbous

66% lit

Sunset

6:12 PM

Dusk 7:36 PM

Dark hours

10.1 h

Dawn 5:39 AM

Aurora

Needs Kp 9+

Belt 58°

Visible planets tonight

Mars, Saturn, Jupiter — brightest: Mars at mag 1.0 in Cancer

🔭 Tonight's Sky Report

📍 Los Angeles, CA — Tuesday, October 20

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 Gibbous • 66% Illumination

🪐 Visible planetsMars, Jupiter, Saturn

🌠 Meteor activityOrionids in 1 day

🌌 Milky WayMuted by moonlight tonight

🛰️ ISSNo visible ISS pass in the next 5 predicted passes

🌈 AuroraUnlikely — Quiet (Kp 1.0)

☁️ Cloud coverWeather telemetry updating

🌡️ TemperatureWeather telemetry updating

Space weather observed: 3:00 AM UTC

Tonight's sky above Los Angeles, CA

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

Local sky character in Los Angeles

Northern mid-latitudes · northern hemisphere

The north celestial pole stands 34.1° above the horizon, so stars within 34° of it never set from here.
About 78% 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 26.9° up, staying low, so a clear southern horizon matters.

Pole altitude

34.1°

Sky reachable

78%

Milky Way core

26.9° max

Aurora borealis

Kp 9+

Loading live sky conditions…

Astronomy near Los Angeles

Real great-circle distances from Los Angeles, CA.

Mount Wilson Observatory — observatory, 26 km away, 1742 m
Palomar Observatory — observatory, 149 km away, 1712 m

Best nights this month in Los Angeles

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.
2026-10-26 — 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 Los Angeles, CA. The Moon is 18% lit on peak night, so lunar interference is low.
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 Los Angeles, CA.
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.

Los Angeles, CA stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Los Angeles, CA?: Tonight from Los Angeles, CA expect a waxing gibbous Moon at 66% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Mars, Saturn, Jupiter. The night offers about 10.1 hours of true astronomical darkness.
What planets are visible tonight in Los Angeles, CA?: Tonight in Los Angeles, CA, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter are visible to the naked eye after dark, based on this location's real ephemeris for tonight.
When does darkness start tonight in Los Angeles, CA?: Astronomical darkness begins at 7:36 PM local time in Los Angeles, CA 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 Los Angeles, CA?: Los Angeles, CA 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 Los Angeles, CA?: Los Angeles, CA doesn't have a population figure in our location data, so we can't estimate a sky-glow category here. A dedicated light-pollution map will give a precise reading for this spot.
Does Los Angeles, CA's elevation help stargazing?: Elevation nearby is significant enough that observatory-grade sites exist in the region. Mount Wilson Observatory sits about 26 km from Los Angeles, CA at 1742 m.
What should I plan for observing near Los Angeles, CA?: High sites reward targets that suffer most from atmosphere: planets at high altitude, faint nebulae, and the Milky Way, which culminates around 26.9° here. Cold and thinner air are the practical constraints, not the sky.
How dark does it actually get in Los Angeles, CA tonight?: About 10.1 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 Los Angeles, CA.

More in CA

Other sky reports in the same region.

Sky tonight across United States

Other cities in United States 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 Los Angeles, CA

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this just astronomy weather for Los Angeles?

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 Los Angeles, CA.

What are tonight's astronomy viewing conditions for Los Angeles?

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