Live Sky Report
What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia?
Waxing Gibbous moon at 61%, Saturn shines at magnitude 0.3. Calculated for -0.88°, 131.26° (Asia/Jayapura).
Visible planets tonight
Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury — brightest: Saturn at mag 0.3 in Cetus
🔭 Tonight's Sky Report
📍 Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia — Monday, October 19
Space weather observed: 3:00 PM UTC
Tonight's sky above Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia
Whether tonight is a good night for stargazing from Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia comes down to four real things: the Moon phase, cloud cover, which planets are up, and the current Kp index.
Local sky character in Sorong
Tropical / equatorial latitudes · southern hemisphere · 7 m elevation
- The south celestial pole stands 0.9° above the horizon, so stars within 1° of it never set from here.
- About 50.8% 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 61.9° up, clearing the horizon haze comfortably.
- The Large Magellanic Cloud only reaches about 21.2° altitude, so it is a low, seasonal target rather than a year-round one.
- At 7 m elevation, roughly 0% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.
Sorong 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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Best nights this month in Sorong
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 Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia.
- 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.
Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia stargazing questions
- What can I see in the sky tonight from Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia?
- Tonight from Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia expect a waxing gibbous Moon at 61% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury. The night offers about 9.5 hours of true astronomical darkness.
- What planets are visible tonight in Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia?
- Tonight in Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia, 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 Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia?
- Astronomical darkness begins at 7:13 PM local time in Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia 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 Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia?
- Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia 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 Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia?
- Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia 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.
- Can I see both northern and southern constellations from Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia?
- Yes — this is the real advantage of an equatorial location. At 0.9° S, about 50.8% 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 Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia?
- The Galactic Centre culminates around 61.9° 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 Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia?
- 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 Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia tonight?
- About 9.5 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 Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia.
- Sky tonight in Teminabuan, Southwest Papua, Indonesia104 km
- Sky tonight in Waisai, Southwest Papua, Indonesia110 km
- Sky tonight in Fakfak, Papua, Indonesia255 km
- Sky tonight in Bintuni, West Papua, Indonesia286 km
- Sky tonight in Manokwari, West Papua, Indonesia312 km
- Sky tonight in Ransiki, West Papua, Indonesia331 km
More in Southwest Papua
Other sky reports in the same region.
Sky tonight across Indonesia
Other cities in Indonesia with live sky reports.
- Sky tonight in Amahai, Maluku378 km
- Sky tonight in Labuha, North Maluku422 km
- Sky tonight in Kawasi, North Maluku436 km
- Sky tonight in Ambon, Maluku464 km
- Sky tonight in Ternate, North Maluku469 km
- Sky tonight in Namlea, Maluku534 km
- Sky tonight in Biak, Papua537 km
- Sky tonight in Nabire, Central Papua546 km
Popular astronomy destinations
Aurora hubs, dark-sky sites, and observatory towns.
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Up to 20 meteors/hour at peak, radiating from Orion.
Full viewing guide →Related astronomy for Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this just astronomy weather for Sorong?
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 Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia.
What are tonight's astronomy viewing conditions for Sorong?
The sky viewing conditions badge above reflects the real astronomy viewing conditions for Sorong, Southwest Papua, Indonesia right now -- cloud cover, darkness, and moon interference combined, not moon phase alone. Good weather for stargazing depends on all of these together.