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Live Sky Report

What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile?

Waxing Gibbous moon at 62%, Saturn shines at magnitude 0.3. Calculated for -22.91°, -68.20° (America/Santiago).

Moon
Waxing Gibbous
62% lit
Sunset
7:39 PM
Dusk 8:56 PM
Dark hours
8.7 h
Dawn 5:38 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

📍 San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile — Monday, October 19

⭐ StargazingWeather telemetry updating
🌙 MoonWaxing Gibbous • 62% 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: 6:00 PM UTC

Tonight's sky above San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile

Above San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile 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.

Local sky character in San Pedro de Atacama

Tropical / equatorial latitudes · southern hemisphere · 2444 m elevation

  • The south celestial pole stands 22.9° above the horizon, so stars within 23° of it never set from here.
  • About 69.5% 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 83.9° up, passing almost directly overhead.
  • The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are circumpolar here — visible on any clear, dark night of the year.
  • At 2444 m elevation, roughly 25% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.
Pole altitude
22.9°
Sky reachable
69.5%
Milky Way core
83.9° max
Aurora australis
Kp 9+

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

Loading live sky conditions…

Astronomy near San Pedro de Atacama

Real great-circle distances from San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile.

  • ALMA Observatory — observatory, 47 km away, 5058 m
  • Atacama Desert Dark Sky Area — dark-sky place, 65 km away, 2400 m

Best nights this month in San Pedro de Atacama

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.

  • 2026-11-08 — 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 Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile.

  • 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 Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile?
Tonight from San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile expect a waxing gibbous Moon at 62% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury. The night offers about 8.7 hours of true astronomical darkness.
What planets are visible tonight in San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile?
Tonight in San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile, 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 San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile?
Astronomical darkness begins at 8:56 PM local time in San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile 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 Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile?
San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile 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 Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile?
San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile 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.
Does San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile's elevation help stargazing?
At 2444 m you are above a meaningful fraction of the atmosphere, which reduces extinction and scintillation — the reason major observatories are sited high. ALMA Observatory sits about 47 km from San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile at 5058 m.
What should I plan for observing near San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile?
High sites reward targets that suffer most from atmosphere: planets at high altitude, faint nebulae, and the Milky Way, which culminates around 83.9° here. Cold and thinner air are the practical constraints, not the sky.
How dark does it actually get in San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile tonight?
About 8.7 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 Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile.

More in Antofagasta

Other sky reports in the same region.

Sky tonight across Chile

Other cities in Chile 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 San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this just astronomy weather for San Pedro de Atacama?

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 Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile.

What are tonight's astronomy viewing conditions for San Pedro de Atacama?

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