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 Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica?

Tonight from Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica 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 9.1 hours of true astronomical darkness.

Can I see both northern and southern constellations from Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica?

Yes — this is the real advantage of an equatorial location. At 9.3° N, about 58.1% 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 Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica?

The Galactic Centre culminates around 51.7° 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 Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica?

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 Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica tonight?

About 9.1 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 Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica?

New Moon moon at 0%, Venus shines at magnitude -4.4. Calculated for 9.27°, -83.58° (America/Costa_Rica).

Moon

New Moon

0% lit

Sunset

5:52 PM

Dusk 7:05 PM

Dark hours

9.1 h

Dawn 4:13 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

📍 Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica — 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 Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica

Whether tonight is a good night for stargazing from Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica comes down to four real things: the Moon phase, cloud cover, which planets are up, and the current Kp index.

Above Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica tonight (9.27°, -83.58°), expect a new moon moon at 0% illumination. The night gives 9.1 hours of true astronomical darkness. At 9.3°, aurora needs a strong storm — roughly Kp 9 or higher — to reach Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica.

Local sky character in Mercedes

Tropical / equatorial latitudes · northern hemisphere · 598 m elevation

The north celestial pole stands 9.3° above the horizon, so stars within 9° of it never set from here.
About 58.1% 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 51.7° up, clearing the horizon haze comfortably.
The Large Magellanic Cloud only reaches about 11° altitude, so it is a low, seasonal target rather than a year-round one.
At 598 m elevation, roughly 7% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.

Pole altitude

9.3°

Sky reachable

58.1%

Milky Way core

51.7° max

Aurora borealis

Kp 9+

Mercedes 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 Mercedes

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 Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica.
2026-08-12 — Perseids peak — up to 100/hour
Radiant in Perseus. Favours the Northern Hemisphere, which includes Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica. 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.

Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica?: Tonight from Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica 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 9.1 hours of true astronomical darkness.
Can I see both northern and southern constellations from Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica?: Yes — this is the real advantage of an equatorial location. At 9.3° N, about 58.1% 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 Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica?: The Galactic Centre culminates around 51.7° 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 Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica?: 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 Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica tonight?: About 9.1 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 Mercedes, San José, Costa Rica.

More in San José

Other sky reports in the same region.

Sky tonight across Costa Rica

Other cities in Costa Rica with live sky reports.

Popular astronomy destinations

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