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 Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka?

Tonight from Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka 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 9.3 hours of true astronomical darkness.

Can I see both northern and southern constellations from Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka?

Yes — this is the real advantage of an equatorial location. At 6.7° N, about 55.8% 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 Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka?

The Galactic Centre culminates around 54.3° 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 Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka?

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 Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka tonight?

About 9.3 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 Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka?

New Moon moon at 0%, Venus shines at magnitude -4.4. Calculated for 6.69°, 80.40° (Asia/Colombo).

Moon

New Moon

0% lit

Sunset

6:23 PM

Dusk 7:35 PM

Dark hours

9.3 h

Dawn 4:50 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

📍 Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka — 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 Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka

Above Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka 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.

Above Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka tonight (6.69°, 80.40°), expect a new moon moon at 0% illumination. The night gives 9.3 hours of true astronomical darkness. At 6.7°, aurora needs a strong storm — roughly Kp 9 or higher — to reach Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka.

Local sky character in Ratnapura

Tropical / equatorial latitudes · northern hemisphere · 73 m elevation

The north celestial pole stands 6.7° above the horizon, so stars within 7° of it never set from here.
About 55.8% 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 54.3° up, clearing the horizon haze comfortably.
The Large Magellanic Cloud only reaches about 13.6° altitude, so it is a low, seasonal target rather than a year-round one.
At 73 m elevation, roughly 1% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.

Pole altitude

6.7°

Sky reachable

55.8%

Milky Way core

54.3° max

Aurora borealis

Kp 9+

Ratnapura 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 Ratnapura

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 Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka.
2026-08-12 — Perseids peak — up to 100/hour
Radiant in Perseus. Favours the Northern Hemisphere, which includes Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka. 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.

Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka?: Tonight from Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka 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 9.3 hours of true astronomical darkness.
Can I see both northern and southern constellations from Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka?: Yes — this is the real advantage of an equatorial location. At 6.7° N, about 55.8% 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 Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka?: The Galactic Centre culminates around 54.3° 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 Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka?: 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 Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka tonight?: About 9.3 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 Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka.

Sky tonight across Sri Lanka

Other cities in Sri Lanka with live sky reports.

Popular astronomy destinations

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