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Live Sky Report

What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in Sambava, Sava, Madagascar?

Waxing Gibbous moon at 63%, Saturn shines at magnitude 0.3. Calculated for -14.27°, 50.17° (Indian/Antananarivo).

Moon
Waxing Gibbous
63% lit
Sunset
5:38 PM
Dusk 6:51 PM
Dark hours
9.1 h
Dawn 3:56 AM
Aurora
Needs Kp 9+
Belt 58°

Visible planets tonight

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

🔭 Tonight's Sky Report

📍 Sambava, Sava, Madagascar — Tuesday, October 20

⭐ StargazingWeather telemetry updating
🌙 MoonWaxing Gibbous • 63% Illumination
🪐 Visible planetsMercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn
🌠 Meteor activityOrionids in 1 day
🌌 Milky WayMuted by moonlight tonight
🛰️ ISSISS pass predictions unavailable
🌈 AuroraUnlikely — Quiet (Kp 0.7)
☁️ Cloud coverWeather telemetry updating
🌡️ TemperatureWeather telemetry updating

Space weather observed: 9:00 PM UTC

Tonight's sky above Sambava, Sava, Madagascar

Whether tonight is a good night for stargazing from Sambava, Sava, Madagascar comes down to four real things: the Moon phase, cloud cover, which planets are up, and the current Kp index.

Local sky character in Sambava

Tropical / equatorial latitudes · southern hemisphere · 10 m elevation

  • The south celestial pole stands 14.3° above the horizon, so stars within 14° of it never set from here.
  • About 62.3% 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 75.3° up, passing almost directly overhead.
  • The Large Magellanic Cloud only reaches about 34.6° altitude, so it is a low, seasonal target rather than a year-round one.
  • At 10 m elevation, roughly 0% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.
Pole altitude
14.3°
Sky reachable
62.3%
Milky Way core
75.3° max
Aurora australis
Kp 9+

Sambava 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 Sambava

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.

  • 2026-11-09 — 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 Sambava, Sava, Madagascar.

  • 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.

Sambava, Sava, Madagascar stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Sambava, Sava, Madagascar?
Tonight from Sambava, Sava, Madagascar expect a waxing gibbous Moon at 63% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury. The night offers about 9.1 hours of true astronomical darkness.
What planets are visible tonight in Sambava, Sava, Madagascar?
Tonight in Sambava, Sava, Madagascar, 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 Sambava, Sava, Madagascar?
Astronomical darkness begins at 6:51 PM local time in Sambava, Sava, Madagascar 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 Sambava, Sava, Madagascar?
Sambava, Sava, Madagascar 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 Sambava, Sava, Madagascar?
Sambava, Sava, Madagascar 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.
Can I see both northern and southern constellations from Sambava, Sava, Madagascar?
Yes — this is the real advantage of an equatorial location. At 14.3° S, about 62.3% 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 Sambava, Sava, Madagascar?
The Galactic Centre culminates around 75.3° above the horizon from here, which is nearly overhead — the densest part of the Milky Way passes through the zenith region, the best geometry available anywhere on Earth. Local cloud and humidity, not geometry, are usually the limiting factor at tropical latitudes.
Are there seasons for stargazing in Sambava, Sava, Madagascar?
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 Sambava, Sava, Madagascar tonight?
About 9.1 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 Sambava, Sava, Madagascar.

More in Sava

Other sky reports in the same region.

Sky tonight across Madagascar

Other cities in Madagascar 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 Sambava, Sava, Madagascar

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this just astronomy weather for Sambava?

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 Sambava, Sava, Madagascar.

What are tonight's astronomy viewing conditions for Sambava?

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