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 Townsville, Queensland, Australia?

Tonight from Townsville, Queensland, Australia expect a waxing gibbous Moon at 63% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury. The night offers about 8.9 hours of true astronomical darkness.

What planets are visible tonight in Townsville, Queensland, Australia?

Tonight in Townsville, Queensland, Australia, 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 Townsville, Queensland, Australia?

Astronomical darkness begins at 7:31 PM local time in Townsville, Queensland, Australia 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 Townsville, Queensland, Australia?

Townsville, Queensland, Australia 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 Townsville, Queensland, Australia?

Townsville, Queensland, Australia 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.

Is light pollution a problem in Townsville, Queensland, Australia?

Townsville, Queensland, Australia is small enough that the Milky Way can be visible on clear, moonless nights away from the immediate centre. This page's Moon and darkness figures tell you the other half of the story.

When can I see the Milky Way from Townsville, Queensland, Australia?

The core reaches about 80.3° altitude, so target the moonless nights listed in the best-nights section and get away from the city core.

How dark does it actually get in Townsville, Queensland, Australia tonight?

About 8.9 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 Townsville, Queensland, Australia?

Waxing Gibbous moon at 63%, Saturn shines at magnitude 0.3. Calculated for -19.27°, 146.81° (Australia/Brisbane).

Moon

Waxing Gibbous

63% lit

Sunset

6:15 PM

Dusk 7:31 PM

Dark hours

8.9 h

Dawn 4:23 AM

Aurora

Needs Kp 9+

Belt 58°

Visible planets tonight

Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury — brightest: Saturn at mag 0.3 in Cetus

🔭 Tonight's Sky Report

📍 Townsville, Queensland, Australia — Tuesday, October 20

Live cloud cover, temperature, ISS passes and aurora odds load in your browser and need JavaScript. The moon, planet and meteor rows below are calculated without it.

⭐ StargazingGood

🌙 MoonWaxing Gibbous • 63% Illumination

🪐 Visible planetsMercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn

🌠 Meteor activityOrionids in 1 day

🌌 Milky WayMuted by moonlight tonight

🛰️ ISSISS pass predictions unavailable

🌈 AuroraUnlikely — Quiet (Kp 0.7)

☁️ Cloud cover34%

🌡️ Temperature82°F

Weather observed: 1:45 AM UTC · Space weather observed: 9:00 PM UTC

Tonight's sky above Townsville, Queensland, Australia

Above Townsville, Queensland, Australia tonight, the sky is a live system: the Moon's illumination, which planets have cleared the horizon, and whether Earth's magnetosphere is quiet or churning all change hour by hour.

Local sky character in Townsville

Tropical / equatorial latitudes · southern hemisphere · 15 m elevation

The south celestial pole stands 19.3° above the horizon, so stars within 19° of it never set from here.
About 66.5% 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 80.3° up, passing almost directly overhead.
The Large Magellanic Cloud only reaches about 39.6° altitude, so it is a low, seasonal target rather than a year-round one.
At 15 m elevation, roughly 0% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.

Pole altitude

19.3°

Sky reachable

66.5%

Milky Way core

80.3° max

Aurora australis

Kp 9+

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

FairSky Viewing Conditions tonight

What does this mean for you?

Your Sky Briefing

Right now: The sky is currently too bright for stargazing or aurora viewing.
Tonight: Skies are expected to stay mostly clear, with some interference from the Moon.
Aurora: Current geomagnetic activity (Kp 0.7, quiet) is not strong enough to bring the aurora to your latitude.
Weather: No significant rain, wind or temperature extremes are expected overnight.

Conditions tonight are mixed -- check the details below.

What is a geomagnetic storm?How do auroras form?

Best nights this month in Townsville

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.
2026-11-09 — 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 Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
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.

Townsville, Queensland, Australia stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Townsville, Queensland, Australia?: Tonight from Townsville, Queensland, Australia expect a waxing gibbous Moon at 63% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury. The night offers about 8.9 hours of true astronomical darkness.
What planets are visible tonight in Townsville, Queensland, Australia?: Tonight in Townsville, Queensland, Australia, 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 Townsville, Queensland, Australia?: Astronomical darkness begins at 7:31 PM local time in Townsville, Queensland, Australia 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 Townsville, Queensland, Australia?: Townsville, Queensland, Australia 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 Townsville, Queensland, Australia?: Townsville, Queensland, Australia 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.
Is light pollution a problem in Townsville, Queensland, Australia?: Townsville, Queensland, Australia is small enough that the Milky Way can be visible on clear, moonless nights away from the immediate centre. This page's Moon and darkness figures tell you the other half of the story.
When can I see the Milky Way from Townsville, Queensland, Australia?: The core reaches about 80.3° altitude, so target the moonless nights listed in the best-nights section and get away from the city core.
How dark does it actually get in Townsville, Queensland, Australia tonight?: About 8.9 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 Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

More in Queensland

Other sky reports in the same region.

Sky tonight across Australia

Other cities in Australia 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.

☄️ Orionids peaks in 1 day

Up to 20 meteors/hour at peak, radiating from Orion.

Full viewing guide →

Related astronomy for Townsville, Queensland, Australia

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this just astronomy weather for Townsville?

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 Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

What are tonight's astronomy viewing conditions for Townsville?

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