Skip to main content

Live Sky Report

What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia?

Waxing Gibbous moon at 64%, Mars shines at magnitude 1.0. Calculated for 57.42°, 25.90° (Europe/Riga).

Moon
Waxing Gibbous
64% lit
Sunset
6:00 PM
Dusk 8:09 PM
Dark hours
9.7 h
Dawn 5:53 AM
Aurora
Needs Kp 3.1+
Belt 58°

Visible planets tonight

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

🔭 Tonight's Sky Report

📍 Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia — Tuesday, October 20

⭐ StargazingWeather telemetry updating
🌙 MoonWaxing Gibbous • 64% Illumination
🪐 Visible planetsMars, Jupiter, Saturn
🌠 Meteor activityOrionids in 1 day
🌌 Milky WayMuted by moonlight tonight
🛰️ ISSChecking ISS orbital track…
🌈 AuroraUnlikely — Quiet (Kp 1.0)
☁️ Cloud coverWeather telemetry updating
🌡️ TemperatureWeather telemetry updating

Space weather observed: 12:00 AM UTC

Tonight's sky above Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia

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

Local sky character in Smiltene

Northern mid-latitudes · northern hemisphere · 98 m elevation

  • The north celestial pole stands 57.4° above the horizon, so stars within 57° of it never set from here.
  • About 92.1% 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 3.6° up, staying low, so a clear southern horizon matters.
  • At 98 m elevation, roughly 1% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.
Pole altitude
57.4°
Sky reachable
92.1%
Milky Way core
3.6° max
Aurora borealis
Kp 3.1+

Smiltene 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…

Best nights this month in Smiltene

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.

  • 2026-11-05 — Taurids peak — up to 5/hour

    Radiant in Taurus. Favours the Northern Hemisphere, which includes Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia. The Moon is 18% lit on peak night, so lunar interference is low.

  • 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 Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia.

  • 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.

Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia?
Tonight from Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia expect a waxing gibbous Moon at 64% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. The night offers about 9.7 hours of true astronomical darkness.
What planets are visible tonight in Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia?
Tonight in Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia, 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 Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia?
Astronomical darkness begins at 8:09 PM local time in Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia 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 Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia?
Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia is far enough from the pole that aurora only reaches overhead during a major geomagnetic storm — specifically when the planetary Kp index reaches about 3.1, a level reached only a handful of times per solar cycle.
What is the stargazing light pollution level in Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia?
Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia 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.
How likely are the northern lights in Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia?
Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia sits at 57.4° N, inside the latitude range the auroral oval reaches on ordinary active nights — the oval sits near 58° geomagnetic latitude at Kp 3. A stronger disturbance — around Kp 3.1 — is still needed for the display to reach overhead.
What time of night is best for aurora watching in Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia?
Auroral substorms cluster around local magnetic midnight, so the hours either side of midnight are statistically strongest. You also need real darkness: this page's dusk and dawn times mark the usable window, and the window is longest around the winter months.
Do I need to leave Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia to see the aurora?
Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia is small enough that local sky glow is not the limiting factor; a clear view toward the northern horizon and clear weather matter more.
How dark does it actually get in Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia tonight?
About 9.7 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 Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia.

Sky tonight across Latvia

Other cities in Latvia 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 Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this just astronomy weather for Smiltene?

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 Smiltene, Smiltene Municipality, Latvia.

What are tonight's astronomy viewing conditions for Smiltene?

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