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Live Sky Report

What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico?

Waxing Gibbous moon at 65%, Saturn shines at magnitude 0.3. Calculated for 20.63°, -87.08° (America/Cancun).

Moon
Waxing Gibbous
65% lit
Sunset
6:20 PM
Dusk 7:34 PM
Dark hours
10.0 h
Dawn 5:31 AM
Aurora
Needs Kp 9+
Belt 58°

Visible planets tonight

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

🔭 Tonight's Sky Report

📍 Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico — Tuesday, October 20

⭐ StargazingWeather telemetry updating
🌙 MoonWaxing Gibbous • 65% Illumination
🪐 Visible planetsMars, Jupiter, Saturn
🌠 Meteor activityOrionids in 1 day
🌌 Milky WayMuted by moonlight tonight
🛰️ ISSChecking ISS orbital track…
🌈 AuroraUnlikely — Quiet (Kp 1.0)
☁️ Cloud coverWeather telemetry updating
🌡️ TemperatureWeather telemetry updating

Space weather observed: 12:00 AM UTC

Tonight's sky above Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Above Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico 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 Playa del Carmen

Tropical / equatorial latitudes · northern hemisphere · 9 m elevation

  • The north celestial pole stands 20.6° above the horizon, so stars within 21° of it never set from here.
  • About 67.6% 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 40.4° up, clearing the horizon haze comfortably.
  • At 9 m elevation, roughly 0% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.
Pole altitude
20.6°
Sky reachable
67.6%
Milky Way core
40.4° max
Aurora borealis
Kp 9+

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

Loading live sky conditions…

Best nights this month in Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico. 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 Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico.

  • 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.

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico?
Tonight from Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico expect a waxing gibbous Moon at 65% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Saturn, Mars, Jupiter. The night offers about 10.0 hours of true astronomical darkness.
What planets are visible tonight in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico?
Tonight in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico, Saturn, Mars, Jupiter are visible to the naked eye after dark, based on this location's real ephemeris for tonight.
When does darkness start tonight in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico?
Astronomical darkness begins at 7:34 PM local time in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico 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 Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico?
Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico 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 Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico?
Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico is a small city — typically Bortle class 4–5 (rural/suburban transition), where the Milky Way core can be glimpsed on clear, moonless nights. 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.
Is light pollution a problem in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico?
Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico is small enough that the Milky Way can be visible on clear, moonless nights away from the immediate centre. This page's Moon and darkness figures tell you the other half of the story.
When can I see the Milky Way from Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico?
The core reaches about 40.4° altitude, so target the moonless nights listed in the best-nights section and get away from the city core.
How dark does it actually get in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico tonight?
About 10.0 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 Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico.

More in Quintana Roo

Other sky reports in the same region.

Sky tonight across Mexico

Other cities in Mexico with live sky reports.

Popular astronomy destinations

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

☄️ Orionids peaks in 1 day

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

Full viewing guide →

Related astronomy for Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this just astronomy weather for Playa del Carmen?

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 Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico.

What are tonight's astronomy viewing conditions for Playa del Carmen?

The sky viewing conditions badge above reflects the real astronomy viewing conditions for Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico right now -- cloud cover, darkness, and moon interference combined, not moon phase alone. Good weather for stargazing depends on all of these together.