Live Sky Report
What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Japan?
New Moon moon at 0%, Venus shines at magnitude -4.4. Calculated for 37.08°, 138.87° (Asia/Tokyo).
Visible planets tonight
Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn, Mars — brightest: Venus at mag -4.4 in Virgo
🔭 Tonight's Sky Report
📍 Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Japan — Wednesday, August 12
Tonight's sky above Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Japan
Skywatchers in Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Japan have the same live tools professional observers use — a real ephemeris, live Kp readings from NOAA SWPC, and hourly cloud forecasts — condensed into one report on this page.
Above Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Japan tonight (37.08°, 138.87°), expect a new moon moon at 0% illumination. The night gives 7.1 hours of true astronomical darkness. At 37.1°, aurora needs a strong storm — roughly Kp 9 or higher — to reach Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Japan.
Local sky character in Minamiuonuma
Northern mid-latitudes · northern hemisphere · 198 m elevation
- The north celestial pole stands 37.1° above the horizon, so stars within 37° of it never set from here.
- About 80.1% 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 23.9° up, staying low, so a clear southern horizon matters.
- At 198 m elevation, roughly 2% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.
Minamiuonuma is small enough that local light domes are limited — on a clear, moonless night the Milky Way is realistically within reach.
Astronomy near Minamiuonuma
Real great-circle distances from Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Japan.
- Nobeyama Radio Observatory — observatory, 132 km away, 1350 m
Best nights this month in Minamiuonuma
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 Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Japan.
- 2026-08-12 — Perseids peak — up to 100/hour
Radiant in Perseus. Favours the Northern Hemisphere, which includes Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Japan. 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.
Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Japan stargazing questions
- What can I see in the sky tonight from Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Japan?
- Tonight from Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Japan 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 7.1 hours of true astronomical darkness.
- Does Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Japan's elevation help stargazing?
- At 198 m you are above a meaningful fraction of the atmosphere, which reduces extinction and scintillation — the reason major observatories are sited high. Nobeyama Radio Observatory sits about 132 km from Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Japan at 1350 m.
- What should I plan for observing near Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Japan?
- High sites reward targets that suffer most from atmosphere: planets at high altitude, faint nebulae, and the Milky Way, which culminates around 23.9° here. Cold and thinner air are the practical constraints, not the sky.
- How dark does it actually get in Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Japan tonight?
- About 7.1 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 Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Japan.
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