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Live Sky Report

What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory?

Waxing Gibbous moon at 62%, Mars shines at magnitude 1.0. Calculated for 31.30°, 34.24° (Asia/Gaza).

Moon
Waxing Gibbous
62% lit
Sunset
6:05 PM
Dusk 7:26 PM
Dark hours
10.0 h
Dawn 5:28 AM
Aurora
Needs Kp 9+
Belt 58°

Visible planets tonight

Mars, Saturn, Jupiter — brightest: Mars at mag 1.0 in Cancer

🔭 Tonight's Sky Report

📍 Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory — Monday, October 19

⭐ StargazingWeather telemetry updating
🌙 MoonWaxing Gibbous • 62% Illumination
🪐 Visible planetsMars, Jupiter, Saturn
🌠 Meteor activityOrionids in 1 day
🌌 Milky WayMuted by moonlight tonight
🛰️ ISSNo visible ISS pass in the next 5 predicted passes
🌈 AuroraUnlikely — Quiet (Kp 0.7)
☁️ Cloud coverWeather telemetry updating
🌡️ TemperatureWeather telemetry updating

Space weather observed: 6:00 PM UTC

Tonight's sky above Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory

Whether tonight is a good night for stargazing from Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory comes down to four real things: the Moon phase, cloud cover, which planets are up, and the current Kp index.

Local sky character in Rafah

Northern mid-latitudes · northern hemisphere · 30 m elevation

  • The north celestial pole stands 31.3° above the horizon, so stars within 31° of it never set from here.
  • About 76% 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 29.7° up, staying low, so a clear southern horizon matters.
  • At 30 m elevation, roughly 0% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.
Pole altitude
31.3°
Sky reachable
76%
Milky Way core
29.7° max
Aurora borealis
Kp 9+

Rafah 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…

Astronomy near Rafah

Real great-circle distances from Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory.

  • Wise Observatory — observatory, 92 km away, 875 m
  • Ramon Crater Dark Sky Park — dark-sky place, 94 km away, 800 m

Best nights this month in Rafah

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.

  • 2026-11-05 — Taurids peak — up to 5/hour

    Radiant in Taurus. Favours the Northern Hemisphere, which includes Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory. The Moon is 18% lit on peak night, so lunar interference is low.

  • 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 Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory.

  • 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.

Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory?
Tonight from Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory expect a waxing gibbous Moon at 62% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Mars, Saturn, Jupiter. The night offers about 10.0 hours of true astronomical darkness.
What planets are visible tonight in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory?
Tonight in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter are visible to the naked eye after dark, based on this location's real ephemeris for tonight.
When does darkness start tonight in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory?
Astronomical darkness begins at 7:26 PM local time in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory 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 Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory?
Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory 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 Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory?
Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory 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.
Does Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory's elevation help stargazing?
At 30 m you are above a meaningful fraction of the atmosphere, which reduces extinction and scintillation — the reason major observatories are sited high. Wise Observatory sits about 92 km from Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory at 875 m.
What should I plan for observing near Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory?
High sites reward targets that suffer most from atmosphere: planets at high altitude, faint nebulae, and the Milky Way, which culminates around 29.7° here. Cold and thinner air are the practical constraints, not the sky.
How dark does it actually get in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory 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 Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory.

More in Gaza Strip

Other sky reports in the same region.

Sky tonight across Palestinian Territory

Other cities in Palestinian Territory with live sky reports.

Popular astronomy destinations

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

🛰️ ISS Visibility

No visible ISS passes currently predicted for this location.

☄️ Orionids peaks in 1 day

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

Full viewing guide →

Related astronomy for Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this just astronomy weather for Rafah?

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 Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory.

What are tonight's astronomy viewing conditions for Rafah?

The sky viewing conditions badge above reflects the real astronomy viewing conditions for Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territory right now -- cloud cover, darkness, and moon interference combined, not moon phase alone. Good weather for stargazing depends on all of these together.