Live Sky Report
What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina?
Waxing Gibbous moon at 63%, Saturn shines at magnitude 0.3. Calculated for -34.62°, -68.33° (America/Argentina/Mendoza).
Visible planets tonight
Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury — brightest: Saturn at mag 0.3 in Cetus
🔭 Tonight's Sky Report
📍 San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina — Tuesday, October 20
Space weather observed: 9:00 PM UTC
Tonight's sky above San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina
Above San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina 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 Rafael
Southern mid-latitudes · southern hemisphere · 690 m elevation
- The south celestial pole stands 34.6° above the horizon, so stars within 35° of it never set from here.
- About 78.4% 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 84.4° up, passing almost directly overhead.
- The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are circumpolar here — visible on any clear, dark night of the year.
- At 690 m elevation, roughly 8% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.
San Rafael is a town-scale settlement, so the edge of the built-up area is often dark enough for the Milky Way on moonless nights.
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Astronomy near San Rafael
Real great-circle distances from San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina.
- Pierre Auger Observatory — observatory, 110 km away, 1400 m
Best nights this month in San Rafael
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 San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina.
- 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 Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina stargazing questions
- What can I see in the sky tonight from San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina?
- Tonight from San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina 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 7.9 hours of true astronomical darkness.
- What planets are visible tonight in San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina?
- Tonight in San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina, 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 Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina?
- Astronomical darkness begins at 9:21 PM local time in San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina 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 Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina?
- San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina 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 Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina?
- San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina 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.
- Does San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina's elevation help stargazing?
- At 690 m you are above a meaningful fraction of the atmosphere, which reduces extinction and scintillation — the reason major observatories are sited high. Pierre Auger Observatory sits about 110 km from San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina at 1400 m.
- What should I plan for observing near San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina?
- High sites reward targets that suffer most from atmosphere: planets at high altitude, faint nebulae, and the Milky Way, which culminates around 84.4° here. Cold and thinner air are the practical constraints, not the sky.
- How dark does it actually get in San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina tonight?
- About 7.9 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 Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina.
More in Mendoza
Other sky reports in the same region.
Sky tonight across Argentina
Other cities in Argentina with live sky reports.
- Sky tonight in Rivadavia, Mendoza159 km
- Sky tonight in Los Barriales, Mendoza170 km
- Sky tonight in Perdriel, Mendoza179 km
- Sky tonight in Fray Luis Beltran, Mendoza181 km
- Sky tonight in Mendoza, Mendoza198 km
- Sky tonight in Colonia Segovia, Mendoza200 km
- Sky tonight in Costa de Araujo, Mendoza207 km
- Sky tonight in Villa Tulumaya, Mendoza212 km
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 Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this just astronomy weather for San Rafael?
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 Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina.
What are tonight's astronomy viewing conditions for San Rafael?
The sky viewing conditions badge above reflects the real astronomy viewing conditions for San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina right now -- cloud cover, darkness, and moon interference combined, not moon phase alone. Good weather for stargazing depends on all of these together.