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 Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia?

Tonight from Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia expect a waxing crescent Moon at 40% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury. The night offers about 9.2 hours of true astronomical darkness.

What planets are visible tonight in Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia?

Tonight in Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia, 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 Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia?

Astronomical darkness begins at 7:09 PM local time in Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia 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 Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia?

Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia 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 Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia?

Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia 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.

Can I see both northern and southern constellations from Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia?

Yes — this is the real advantage of an equatorial location. At 11.4° S, about 59.9% 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 Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia?

The Galactic Centre culminates around 72.4° 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 Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia?

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 Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia tonight?

About 9.2 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 Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia?

Waxing Crescent moon at 40%, Saturn shines at magnitude 0.3. Calculated for -11.36°, 29.56° (Africa/Lusaka).

Moon

Waxing Crescent

40% lit

Sunset

5:58 PM

Dusk 7:09 PM

Dark hours

9.2 h

Dawn 4:24 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

📍 Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia — Saturday, October 17

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.

⭐ StargazingGood

🌙 MoonWaxing Crescent • 40% Illumination

🪐 Visible planetsMercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn

🌠 Meteor activityOrionids in 3 days

🌌 Milky WayMuted by moonlight tonight

🛰️ ISSISS pass predictions unavailable

🌈 AuroraUnlikely — Quiet (Kp 0.7)

☁️ Cloud cover23%

🌡️ Temperature90°F

Weather observed: 2:45 PM UTC · Space weather observed: 9:00 AM UTC

Tonight's sky above Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia

Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia's sky tonight is a real, computable state — every value on this page comes from live NOAA space weather data, live orbital elements for the ISS, and astronomy-engine's ephemeris for the Sun, Moon, and planets.

Local sky character in Samfya

Tropical / equatorial latitudes · southern hemisphere · 1183 m elevation

The south celestial pole stands 11.4° above the horizon, so stars within 11° of it never set from here.
About 59.9% 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 72.4° up, passing almost directly overhead.
The Large Magellanic Cloud only reaches about 31.7° altitude, so it is a low, seasonal target rather than a year-round one.
At 1183 m elevation, roughly 13% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.

Pole altitude

11.4°

Sky reachable

59.9%

Milky Way core

72.4° max

Aurora australis

Kp 9+

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

GoodSky Viewing Conditions tonight

What does this mean for you?

Your Sky Briefing

Right now: The sky is currently too bright for stargazing or aurora viewing.
Tonight: Skies are expected to stay mostly clear, with some interference from the Moon.
Aurora: Current geomagnetic activity (Kp 0.7, quiet) is not strong enough to bring the aurora to your latitude.
Weather: No significant rain, wind or temperature extremes are expected overnight.

Skies should be clear tonight, making it a good night for stargazing, although aurora activity is unlikely.

What is a geomagnetic storm?How do auroras form?

Best nights this month in Samfya

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 99%-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 Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia.

Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia?: Tonight from Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia expect a waxing crescent Moon at 40% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury. The night offers about 9.2 hours of true astronomical darkness.
What planets are visible tonight in Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia?: Tonight in Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia, 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 Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia?: Astronomical darkness begins at 7:09 PM local time in Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia 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 Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia?: Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia 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 Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia?: Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia 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.
Can I see both northern and southern constellations from Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia?: Yes — this is the real advantage of an equatorial location. At 11.4° S, about 59.9% 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 Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia?: The Galactic Centre culminates around 72.4° 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 Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia?: 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 Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia tonight?: About 9.2 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 Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia.

More in Luapula Province

Other sky reports in the same region.

Sky tonight across Zambia

Other cities in Zambia 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 3 days

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

Full viewing guide →

Related astronomy for Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this just astronomy weather for Samfya?

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 Samfya, Luapula Province, Zambia.

What are tonight's astronomy viewing conditions for Samfya?

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