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Live Sky Report

What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in Svalbard, Norway?

Waning Crescent moon at 14%, Mars shines at magnitude 0.8. Calculated for 78.22°, 15.63° (Arctic/Longyearbyen).

Moon
Waning Crescent
14% lit
Sunset
—
Dusk 6:30 PM
Dark hours
10.4 h
Dawn 4:54 AM
Aurora
Possible
Belt 58°

Visible planets tonight

Mars, Jupiter, Saturn — brightest: Mars at mag 0.8 in Leo

🔭 Tonight's Sky Report

📍 Svalbard, Norway — Thursday, November 5

⭐ StargazingGood
🌙 MoonWaning Crescent • 14% Illumination
🪐 Visible planetsMars, Jupiter, Saturn
🌠 Meteor activityLeonids in 11 days
🌌 Milky WayVisible after dark, low moonlight
🛰️ ISSISS pass predictions unavailable
🌈 Aurora🟢 Possible: Quiet (Kp 1.3)
☁️ Cloud cover25%
🌡️ Temperature23°F

Weather observed: 2:00 PM UTC · Space weather observed: 9:00 AM UTC

Tonight's sky above Svalbard, Norway

Skywatchers in Svalbard, Norway 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 Svalbard

Northern high latitudes · northern hemisphere

  • The north celestial pole stands 78.2° above the horizon, so stars within 78° of it never set from here.
  • About 98.9% of the whole sky rises above the horizon at some point in the year from this latitude.
  • The Galactic Centre never rises from this latitude, so the brightest stretch of the Milky Way stays permanently below the horizon.
  • Above 78° the observing year is strongly seasonal: mid-summer nights may never reach astronomical darkness, while mid-winter delivers very long dark windows.
Pole altitude
78.2°
Sky reachable
98.9%
Milky Way core
Never rises
Aurora borealis
Reachable

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

ExcellentSky Viewing Conditions tonight

What does this mean for you?

Your Sky Briefing

Right now
Full astronomical darkness right now — a good time to look up.
Tonight
Skies are expected to stay mostly clear, with minimal interference from the Moon.
Aurora
Geomagnetic activity is quiet (Kp 1.3), and your location is within a favorable latitude range. Cloud cover is the biggest factor to watch.
Weather
Winds around 31 km/h are expected overnight.

Skies should be clear tonight, making it a good night for stargazing, although aurora activity is unlikely.

What is a geomagnetic storm?How do auroras form?

Astronomy near Svalbard

Real great-circle distances from Svalbard, Norway.

  • EISCAT Svalbard Radar — observatory, 12 km away, 445 m

Best nights this month in Svalbard

Calculated for these coordinates and today's date — not a fixed list.

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

    Radiant in Taurus. Favours the Northern Hemisphere, which includes Svalbard, Norway. 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 Svalbard, Norway.

  • 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.

  • 2026-11-24 — 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.

Svalbard, Norway stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Svalbard, Norway?
Tonight from Svalbard, Norway expect a waning crescent Moon at 14% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. The night offers about 10.4 hours of true astronomical darkness.
What planets are visible tonight in Svalbard, Norway?
Tonight in Svalbard, Norway, 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 Svalbard, Norway?
Astronomical darkness begins at 6:30 PM local time in Svalbard, Norway 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 Svalbard, Norway?
Svalbard, Norway sits within the aurora oval's typical reach on active nights, near 58° geomagnetic latitude at Kp 3 — aurora is a realistic prospect here whenever the planetary Kp index reaches about 0 or higher.
What is the stargazing light pollution level in Svalbard, Norway?
Svalbard, Norway 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 Svalbard, Norway?
Svalbard, Norway sits at 78.2° N, inside the latitude range the auroral oval reaches on ordinary active nights — the oval sits near 58° geomagnetic latitude at Kp 3. That means aurora is a realistic prospect here whenever geomagnetic activity lifts above the quiet baseline, not only during major storms.
What time of night is best for aurora watching in Svalbard, Norway?
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 in mid-summer that window can close entirely at this latitude.
Do I need to leave Svalbard, Norway to see the aurora?
Svalbard, Norway 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 Svalbard, Norway tonight?
About 10.4 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 Svalbard, Norway.

Sky tonight across Norway

Other cities in Norway 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.

☄️ Leonids peaks in 11 days

Up to 15 meteors/hour at peak, radiating from Leo.

Full viewing guide →

Related astronomy for Svalbard, Norway

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this just astronomy weather for Svalbard?

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 Svalbard, Norway.

What are tonight's astronomy viewing conditions for Svalbard?

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