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 Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India?

Tonight from Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India 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 9.0 hours of true astronomical darkness.

Does Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India's elevation help stargazing?

At 41 m you are above a meaningful fraction of the atmosphere, which reduces extinction and scintillation — the reason major observatories are sited high. Vainu Bappu Observatory sits about 130 km from Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India at 725 m.

What should I plan for observing near Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India?

High sites reward targets that suffer most from atmosphere: planets at high altitude, faint nebulae, and the Milky Way, which culminates around 49.5° here. Cold and thinner air are the practical constraints, not the sky.

How dark does it actually get in Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India tonight?

About 9.0 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 Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India?

New Moon moon at 0%, Venus shines at magnitude -4.4. Calculated for 11.52°, 79.33° (Asia/Kolkata).

Moon

New Moon

0% lit

Sunset

6:33 PM

Dusk 7:46 PM

Dark hours

9.0 h

Dawn 4:48 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

📍 Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India — Wednesday, August 12

⭐ Stargazing—

🌙 MoonNew Moon • 0% Illumination

🪐 Visible planetsMars, Saturn

🌠 Meteor activityDraconids in 57 days

🌌 Milky WayVisible after dark, low moonlight

🛰️ ISSLoading…

🌈 Aurora—

☁️ Cloud cover—

🌡️ Temperature—

Tonight's sky above Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India

Skywatchers in Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India 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.

Above Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India tonight (11.52°, 79.33°), expect a new moon moon at 0% illumination. The night gives 9.0 hours of true astronomical darkness. At 11.5°, aurora needs a strong storm — roughly Kp 9 or higher — to reach Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India.

Local sky character in Virudhachalam

Tropical / equatorial latitudes · northern hemisphere · 41 m elevation

The north celestial pole stands 11.5° above the horizon, so stars within 12° of it never set from here.
About 60% 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 49.5° up, clearing the horizon haze comfortably.
The Large Magellanic Cloud only reaches about 8.8° altitude, so it is a low, seasonal target rather than a year-round one.
At 41 m elevation, roughly 0% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.

Pole altitude

11.5°

Sky reachable

60%

Milky Way core

49.5° max

Aurora borealis

Kp 9+

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

Astronomy near Virudhachalam

Real great-circle distances from Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India.

Vainu Bappu Observatory — observatory, 130 km away, 725 m

Best nights this month in Virudhachalam

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

2026-08-12 — 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 Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India.
2026-08-12 — Perseids peak — up to 100/hour
Radiant in Perseus. Favours the Northern Hemisphere, which includes Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India. The Moon is 2% lit on peak night, so lunar interference is none.
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.

Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India?: Tonight from Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India 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 9.0 hours of true astronomical darkness.
Does Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India's elevation help stargazing?: At 41 m you are above a meaningful fraction of the atmosphere, which reduces extinction and scintillation — the reason major observatories are sited high. Vainu Bappu Observatory sits about 130 km from Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India at 725 m.
What should I plan for observing near Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India?: High sites reward targets that suffer most from atmosphere: planets at high altitude, faint nebulae, and the Milky Way, which culminates around 49.5° here. Cold and thinner air are the practical constraints, not the sky.
How dark does it actually get in Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India tonight?: About 9.0 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 Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu, India.

More in Tamil Nadu

Other sky reports in the same region.

Sky tonight across India

Other cities in India with live sky reports.

Popular astronomy destinations

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