Live Sky Report
What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in Soma, Lower River, Gambia?
Waxing Crescent moon at 18%, Saturn shines at magnitude 0.3. Calculated for 13.43°, -15.53° (Africa/Banjul).
Visible planets tonight
Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury — brightest: Saturn at mag 0.3 in Cetus
🔭 Tonight's Sky Report
📍 Soma, Lower River, Gambia — Wednesday, October 14
Space weather observed: 6:00 PM UTC
Tonight's sky above Soma, Lower River, Gambia
Skywatchers in Soma, Lower River, Gambia 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 Soma
Tropical / equatorial latitudes · northern hemisphere · 21 m elevation
- The north celestial pole stands 13.4° above the horizon, so stars within 13° of it never set from here.
- About 61.6% 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 47.6° up, clearing the horizon haze comfortably.
- The Large Magellanic Cloud only reaches about 6.9° altitude, so it is a low, seasonal target rather than a year-round one.
- At 21 m elevation, roughly 0% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.
Soma is small enough that local light domes are limited — on a clear, moonless night the Milky Way is realistically within reach.
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Best nights this month in Soma
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 Soma, Lower River, Gambia. 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 Soma, Lower River, Gambia.
Soma, Lower River, Gambia stargazing questions
- What can I see in the sky tonight from Soma, Lower River, Gambia?
- Tonight from Soma, Lower River, Gambia expect a waxing crescent Moon at 18% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury. The night offers about 9.8 hours of true astronomical darkness.
- What planets are visible tonight in Soma, Lower River, Gambia?
- Tonight in Soma, Lower River, Gambia, 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 Soma, Lower River, Gambia?
- Astronomical darkness begins at 7:53 PM local time in Soma, Lower River, Gambia 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 Soma, Lower River, Gambia?
- Soma, Lower River, Gambia 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 Soma, Lower River, Gambia?
- Soma, Lower River, Gambia 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 Soma, Lower River, Gambia?
- Yes — this is the real advantage of an equatorial location. At 13.4° N, about 61.6% 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 Soma, Lower River, Gambia?
- The Galactic Centre culminates around 47.6° above the horizon from here, high enough to clear most horizon haze. Local cloud and humidity, not geometry, are usually the limiting factor at tropical latitudes.
- Are there seasons for stargazing in Soma, Lower River, Gambia?
- 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 Soma, Lower River, Gambia tonight?
- About 9.8 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 Soma, Lower River, Gambia.
Sky tonight across Gambia
Other cities in Gambia with live sky reports.
- Sky tonight in Sinchu Balla, Central River57 km
- Sky tonight in Kerewan, North Bank60 km
- Sky tonight in Brikama Ba, Central River66 km
- Sky tonight in Bansang, Central River96 km
- Sky tonight in Lamin, North Bank98 km
- Sky tonight in Madiana, Central River109 km
- Sky tonight in Banjul, Banjul113 km
- Sky tonight in Brikama, Western122 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 6 days
Up to 20 meteors/hour at peak, radiating from Orion.
Full viewing guide →Related astronomy for Soma, Lower River, Gambia
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this just astronomy weather for Soma?
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 Soma, Lower River, Gambia.
What are tonight's astronomy viewing conditions for Soma?
The sky viewing conditions badge above reflects the real astronomy viewing conditions for Soma, Lower River, Gambia right now -- cloud cover, darkness, and moon interference combined, not moon phase alone. Good weather for stargazing depends on all of these together.