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 San Francisco, CA?

Tonight from San Francisco, CA expect a waxing gibbous Moon at 62% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. The night offers about 10.0 hours of true astronomical darkness.

What planets are visible tonight in San Francisco, CA?

Tonight in San Francisco, CA, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn are visible to the naked eye after dark, based on this location's real ephemeris for tonight.

When does darkness start tonight in San Francisco, CA?

Astronomical darkness begins at 7:53 PM local time in San Francisco, CA 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 San Francisco, CA?

San Francisco, CA 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 San Francisco, CA?

San Francisco, CA doesn't have a population figure in our location data, so we can't estimate a sky-glow category here. A dedicated light-pollution map will give a precise reading for this spot.

Is light pollution a problem in San Francisco, CA?

San Francisco, CA 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 San Francisco, CA?

The core reaches about 23.2° 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 San Francisco, CA 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.

Live Sky Report

What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in San Francisco, CA?

Waxing Gibbous moon at 62%, Mars shines at magnitude 1.0. Calculated for 37.77°, -122.42° (America/Los_Angeles).

Moon

Waxing Gibbous

62% lit

Sunset

6:26 PM

Dusk 7:53 PM

Dark hours

10.0 h

Dawn 5:55 AM

Aurora

Needs Kp 9+

Belt 58°

Visible planets tonight

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

🔭 Tonight's Sky Report

📍 San Francisco, CA — Monday, October 19

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.

⭐ StargazingWeather telemetry updating

🌙 MoonWaxing Gibbous • 62% Illumination

🪐 Visible planetsMars, Jupiter, Saturn

🌠 Meteor activityOrionids in 1 day

🌌 Milky WayMuted by moonlight tonight

🛰️ ISSChecking ISS orbital track…

🌈 AuroraUnlikely — Quiet (Kp 0.7)

☁️ Cloud coverWeather telemetry updating

🌡️ TemperatureWeather telemetry updating

Space weather observed: 6:00 PM UTC

Tonight's sky above San Francisco, CA

Skywatchers in San Francisco, CA have the same live tools professional observers use — a real ephemeris, live Kp readings from NOAA SWPC, and hourly cloud forecasts — condensed into one report on this page.

Local sky character in San Francisco

Northern mid-latitudes · northern hemisphere

The north celestial pole stands 37.8° above the horizon, so stars within 38° of it never set from here.
About 80.6% 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 23.2° up, staying low, so a clear southern horizon matters.

Pole altitude

37.8°

Sky reachable

80.6%

Milky Way core

23.2° max

Aurora borealis

Kp 9+

Loading live sky conditions…

Best nights this month in San Francisco

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 San Francisco, CA. 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 San Francisco, CA.
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.

San Francisco, CA stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from San Francisco, CA?: Tonight from San Francisco, CA expect a waxing gibbous Moon at 62% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. The night offers about 10.0 hours of true astronomical darkness.
What planets are visible tonight in San Francisco, CA?: Tonight in San Francisco, CA, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn are visible to the naked eye after dark, based on this location's real ephemeris for tonight.
When does darkness start tonight in San Francisco, CA?: Astronomical darkness begins at 7:53 PM local time in San Francisco, CA 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 San Francisco, CA?: San Francisco, CA 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 San Francisco, CA?: San Francisco, CA doesn't have a population figure in our location data, so we can't estimate a sky-glow category here. A dedicated light-pollution map will give a precise reading for this spot.
Is light pollution a problem in San Francisco, CA?: San Francisco, CA 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 San Francisco, CA?: The core reaches about 23.2° 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 San Francisco, CA 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 San Francisco, CA.

More in CA

Other sky reports in the same region.

Sky tonight across United States

Other cities in United States 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 San Francisco, CA

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this just astronomy weather for San Francisco?

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 San Francisco, CA.

What are tonight's astronomy viewing conditions for San Francisco?

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