What planets are visible tonight?

Which planets are visible depends on your date and location. Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn are the four naked-eye planets that are frequently visible; Mercury is visible only in brief windows near sunrise or sunset. Enter your city above and the report will list the planets currently above the horizon after dark.

Can I see the Northern Lights tonight?

Aurora visibility depends on the Kp index and your geomagnetic latitude. At Kp 3, aurora is typically visible only near the Arctic and Antarctic circles. At Kp 5 (a G1 storm), the auroral oval expands south into the northern U.S. and northern Europe. At Kp 7+ it can reach mid-latitudes. The report above compares your latitude to the current auroral boundary in real time.

Is there a meteor shower tonight?

There are around a dozen major meteor showers each year. The report above shows the next active shower and how many days until its peak. For best viewing, look after midnight from a dark location with the shower's radiant above the horizon.

When will the ISS pass over tonight?

The International Space Station passes overhead multiple times per day, but only some passes are visible (bright, after dusk or before dawn, and above the horizon). The report above shows the next visible pass time for your location, computed from live NORAD orbital elements.

What can I see in the sky tonight from Thaba Nchu, Free State, South Africa?

Tonight from Thaba Nchu, Free State, South Africa expect a new moon Moon at 0% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn, Mars. The night offers about 10.3 hours of true astronomical darkness.

Does Thaba Nchu, Free State, South Africa's elevation help stargazing?

At 1531 m you are above a meaningful fraction of the atmosphere, which reduces extinction and scintillation — the reason major observatories are sited high.

What should I plan for observing near Thaba Nchu, Free State, South Africa?

High sites reward targets that suffer most from atmosphere: planets at high altitude, faint nebulae, and the Milky Way, which culminates around 89.8° here. Cold and thinner air are the practical constraints, not the sky.

How dark does it actually get in Thaba Nchu, Free State, South Africa tonight?

About 10.3 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.

Live Sky Report

What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in Thaba Nchu, Free State, South Africa?

New Moon moon at 0%, Venus shines at magnitude -4.4. Calculated for -29.21°, 26.84° (Africa/Johannesburg).

Moon

New Moon

0% lit

Sunset

5:48 PM

Dusk 7:08 PM

Dark hours

10.3 h

Dawn 5:26 AM

Aurora

Needs Kp 9+

Belt 58°

Visible planets tonight

Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn, Mars — brightest: Venus at mag -4.4 in Virgo

🔭 Tonight's Sky Report

📍 Thaba Nchu, Free State, South Africa — Thursday, August 13

⭐ Stargazing—

🌙 MoonNew Moon • 0% Illumination

🪐 Visible planetsMars, Saturn

🌠 Meteor activityDraconids in 56 days

🌌 Milky WayVisible after dark, low moonlight

🛰️ ISSLoading…

🌈 Aurora—

☁️ Cloud cover—

🌡️ Temperature—

Tonight's sky above Thaba Nchu, Free State, South Africa

Thaba Nchu, Free State, South Africa's sky tonight is a real, computable state — every value on this page comes from live NOAA space weather data, live orbital elements for the ISS, and astronomy-engine's ephemeris for the Sun, Moon, and planets.

Above Thaba Nchu, Free State, South Africa tonight (-29.21°, 26.84°), expect a new moon moon at 0% illumination. The night gives 10.3 hours of true astronomical darkness. At 29.2°, aurora needs a strong storm — roughly Kp 9 or higher — to reach Thaba Nchu, Free State, South Africa.

Local sky character in Thaba Nchu

Southern mid-latitudes · southern hemisphere · 1531 m elevation

The south celestial pole stands 29.2° above the horizon, so stars within 29° of it never set from here.
About 74.4% 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 89.8° up, passing almost directly overhead.
The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are circumpolar here — visible on any clear, dark night of the year.
At 1531 m elevation, roughly 16% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.

Pole altitude

29.2°

Sky reachable

74.4%

Milky Way core

89.8° max

Aurora australis

Kp 9+

Thaba Nchu is a town-scale settlement, so the edge of the built-up area is often dark enough for the Milky Way on moonless nights.

Best nights this month in Thaba Nchu

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

2026-08-13 — 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 Thaba Nchu, Free State, South Africa.
2026-08-27 — 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.

Thaba Nchu, Free State, South Africa stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Thaba Nchu, Free State, South Africa?: Tonight from Thaba Nchu, Free State, South Africa expect a new moon Moon at 0% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn, Mars. The night offers about 10.3 hours of true astronomical darkness.
Does Thaba Nchu, Free State, South Africa's elevation help stargazing?: At 1531 m you are above a meaningful fraction of the atmosphere, which reduces extinction and scintillation — the reason major observatories are sited high.
What should I plan for observing near Thaba Nchu, Free State, South Africa?: High sites reward targets that suffer most from atmosphere: planets at high altitude, faint nebulae, and the Milky Way, which culminates around 89.8° here. Cold and thinner air are the practical constraints, not the sky.
How dark does it actually get in Thaba Nchu, Free State, South Africa tonight?: About 10.3 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 Thaba Nchu, Free State, South Africa.

More in Free State

Other sky reports in the same region.

Sky tonight across South Africa

Other cities in South Africa with live sky reports.

Popular astronomy destinations

Aurora hubs, dark-sky sites, and observatory towns.