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 Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand?

Tonight from Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand expect a waxing crescent Moon at 34% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury. The night offers about 7.4 hours of true astronomical darkness.

What planets are visible tonight in Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand?

Tonight in Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand, 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 Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand?

Astronomical darkness begins at 9:28 PM local time in Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand 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 Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand?

Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand is far enough from the pole that aurora only reaches overhead during a major geomagnetic storm — specifically when the planetary Kp index reaches about 8.6, a level reached only a handful of times per solar cycle.

What is the stargazing light pollution level in Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand?

Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand is a small town — typically Bortle class 1–4 (rural to excellent dark sky), where the Milky Way is usually visible on clear, moonless nights away from local lighting. 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.

Where is the nearest dark-sky site to Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand?

Kaikoura Southern Sky Area lies about 130 km away. Distances are real great-circle distances from Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand's coordinates.

When is the best time to stargaze near Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand?

Combine two things this page computes: the astronomical darkness window (dusk to dawn), and the Moon. Nights within a few days of New Moon inside that window are the ones worth travelling for; the "best nights" section lists the next ones.

How dark does it actually get in Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand tonight?

About 7.4 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 Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand?

Waxing Crescent moon at 34%, Saturn shines at magnitude 0.3. Calculated for -41.27°, 173.28° (Pacific/Auckland).

Moon

Waxing Crescent

34% lit

Sunset

7:49 PM

Dusk 9:28 PM

Dark hours

7.4 h

Dawn 4:55 AM

Aurora

Needs Kp 8.6+

Belt 58°

Visible planets tonight

Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury — brightest: Saturn at mag 0.3 in Cetus

🔭 Tonight's Sky Report

📍 Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand — Friday, October 16

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 Crescent • 34% Illumination

🪐 Visible planetsMercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn

🌠 Meteor activityOrionids in 4 days

🌌 Milky WayMuted by moonlight tonight

🛰️ ISSNext pass ~Oct 17, 9:28 PM GMT+13

🌈 AuroraUnlikely — Quiet (Kp 3.7)

☁️ Cloud coverWeather telemetry updating

🌡️ TemperatureWeather telemetry updating

Space weather observed: 6:00 PM UTC

Tonight's sky above Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand

Above Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand 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 Nelson

Southern mid-latitudes · southern hemisphere · 11 m elevation

The south celestial pole stands 41.3° above the horizon, so stars within 41° of it never set from here.
About 83% 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 77.7° up, passing almost directly overhead.
The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are circumpolar here — visible on any clear, dark night of the year.
At 11 m elevation, roughly 0% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.

Pole altitude

41.3°

Sky reachable

83%

Milky Way core

77.7° max

Aurora australis

Kp 8.6+

Nelson is small enough that local light domes are limited — on a clear, moonless night the Milky Way is realistically within reach.

Loading live sky conditions…

Astronomy near Nelson

Real great-circle distances from Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand.

Kaikoura Southern Sky Area — dark-sky place, 130 km away, 10 m

Best nights this month in Nelson

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.
2026-11-08 — 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 Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand.

Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand?: Tonight from Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand expect a waxing crescent Moon at 34% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury. The night offers about 7.4 hours of true astronomical darkness.
What planets are visible tonight in Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand?: Tonight in Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand, 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 Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand?: Astronomical darkness begins at 9:28 PM local time in Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand 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 Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand?: Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand is far enough from the pole that aurora only reaches overhead during a major geomagnetic storm — specifically when the planetary Kp index reaches about 8.6, a level reached only a handful of times per solar cycle.
What is the stargazing light pollution level in Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand?: Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand is a small town — typically Bortle class 1–4 (rural to excellent dark sky), where the Milky Way is usually visible on clear, moonless nights away from local lighting. 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.
Where is the nearest dark-sky site to Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand?: Kaikoura Southern Sky Area lies about 130 km away. Distances are real great-circle distances from Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand's coordinates.
When is the best time to stargaze near Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand?: Combine two things this page computes: the astronomical darkness window (dusk to dawn), and the Moon. Nights within a few days of New Moon inside that window are the ones worth travelling for; the "best nights" section lists the next ones.
How dark does it actually get in Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand tonight?: About 7.4 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 Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand.

Sky tonight across New Zealand

Other cities in New Zealand with live sky reports.

Popular astronomy destinations

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

🛰️ ISS Visibility

Next visible pass rises at 8:28 AM, lasting about 4 minutes.

4 more visible passes predicted in this window.

☄️ Orionids peaks in 4 days

Up to 20 meteors/hour at peak, radiating from Orion.

Full viewing guide →

Related astronomy for Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this just astronomy weather for Nelson?

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 Nelson, Nelson Region, New Zealand.

What are tonight's astronomy viewing conditions for Nelson?

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