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 Mbale, Eastern Region, Uganda?

Tonight from Mbale, Eastern Region, Uganda 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 9.5 hours of true astronomical darkness.

Can I see both northern and southern constellations from Mbale, Eastern Region, Uganda?

Yes — this is the real advantage of an equatorial location. At 1.1° N, about 50.9% 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 Mbale, Eastern Region, Uganda?

The Galactic Centre culminates around 59.9° above the horizon from here, high enough to clear most horizon haze. Local cloud and humidity, not geometry, are usually the limiting factor at tropical latitudes.

Are there seasons for stargazing in Mbale, Eastern Region, Uganda?

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 Mbale, Eastern Region, Uganda tonight?

About 9.5 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 Mbale, Eastern Region, Uganda?

New Moon moon at 0%, Venus shines at magnitude -4.4. Calculated for 1.08°, 34.17° (Africa/Kampala).

Moon

New Moon

0% lit

Sunset

6:52 PM

Dusk 8:03 PM

Dark hours

9.5 h

Dawn 5:32 AM

Aurora

Needs Kp 9+

Belt 58°

Visible planets tonight

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

🔭 Tonight's Sky Report

📍 Mbale, Eastern Region, Uganda — Thursday, August 13

⭐ 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 Mbale, Eastern Region, Uganda

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

Above Mbale, Eastern Region, Uganda tonight (1.08°, 34.17°), expect a new moon moon at 0% illumination. The night gives 9.5 hours of true astronomical darkness. At 1.1°, aurora needs a strong storm — roughly Kp 9 or higher — to reach Mbale, Eastern Region, Uganda.

Local sky character in Mbale

Tropical / equatorial latitudes · northern hemisphere · 1125 m elevation

The north celestial pole stands 1.1° above the horizon, so stars within 1° of it never set from here.
About 50.9% 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 59.9° up, clearing the horizon haze comfortably.
The Large Magellanic Cloud only reaches about 19.2° altitude, so it is a low, seasonal target rather than a year-round one.
At 1125 m elevation, roughly 12% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.

Pole altitude

1.1°

Sky reachable

50.9%

Milky Way core

59.9° max

Aurora borealis

Kp 9+

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

Best nights this month in Mbale

Calculated for these coordinates and today's date — not a fixed list.

2026-08-13 — 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 Mbale, Eastern Region, Uganda.
2026-08-28 — 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.

Mbale, Eastern Region, Uganda stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Mbale, Eastern Region, Uganda?: Tonight from Mbale, Eastern Region, Uganda 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 9.5 hours of true astronomical darkness.
Can I see both northern and southern constellations from Mbale, Eastern Region, Uganda?: Yes — this is the real advantage of an equatorial location. At 1.1° N, about 50.9% 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 Mbale, Eastern Region, Uganda?: The Galactic Centre culminates around 59.9° above the horizon from here, high enough to clear most horizon haze. Local cloud and humidity, not geometry, are usually the limiting factor at tropical latitudes.
Are there seasons for stargazing in Mbale, Eastern Region, Uganda?: 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 Mbale, Eastern Region, Uganda tonight?: About 9.5 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 Mbale, Eastern Region, Uganda.

More in Eastern Region

Other sky reports in the same region.

Sky tonight across Uganda

Other cities in Uganda with live sky reports.

Popular astronomy destinations

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