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Live Sky Report

What Can I See in the Sky Tonight in Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria?

Waxing Crescent moon at 18%, Saturn shines at magnitude 0.3. Calculated for 8.83°, 9.63° (Africa/Lagos).

Moon
Waxing Crescent
18% lit
Sunset
6:05 PM
Dusk 7:15 PM
Dark hours
9.7 h
Dawn 4:59 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

📍 Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria — Thursday, October 15

⭐ StargazingPoor
🌙 MoonWaxing Crescent • 18% Illumination
🪐 Visible planetsMercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn
🌠 Meteor activityOrionids in 6 days
🌌 Milky WayVisible after dark, low moonlight
🛰️ ISSNo visible ISS pass in the next 5 predicted passes
🌈 AuroraUnlikely — Quiet (Kp 2.7)
☁️ Cloud cover98%
🌡️ Temperature79°F

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

Tonight's sky above Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria

Above Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria 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 Yelwa

Tropical / equatorial latitudes · northern hemisphere · 221 m elevation

  • The north celestial pole stands 8.8° above the horizon, so stars within 9° of it never set from here.
  • About 57.7% 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 52.2° up, clearing the horizon haze comfortably.
  • The Large Magellanic Cloud only reaches about 11.5° altitude, so it is a low, seasonal target rather than a year-round one.
  • At 221 m elevation, roughly 3% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.
Pole altitude
8.8°
Sky reachable
57.7%
Milky Way core
52.2° max
Aurora borealis
Kp 9+

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

PoorSky 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
Cloud cover is the main factor limiting visibility tonight.
Aurora
Current geomagnetic activity (Kp 2.7, quiet) is not strong enough to bring the aurora to your latitude.
Weather
No significant rain, wind or temperature extremes are expected overnight.

Tonight is not a strong night for stargazing -- check back tomorrow.

Best nights this month in Yelwa

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.

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

    Radiant in Taurus. Favours the Northern Hemisphere, which includes Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria. 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 Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria.

Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria stargazing questions

What can I see in the sky tonight from Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria?
Tonight from Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria expect a waxing crescent Moon at 18% illumination, with these naked-eye planets above the horizon after dark: Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury. The night offers about 9.7 hours of true astronomical darkness.
What planets are visible tonight in Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria?
Tonight in Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria, 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 Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria?
Astronomical darkness begins at 7:15 PM local time in Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria 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 Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria?
Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria 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 Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria?
Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria 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.
Can I see both northern and southern constellations from Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria?
Yes — this is the real advantage of an equatorial location. At 8.8° N, about 57.7% 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 Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria?
The Galactic Centre culminates around 52.2° 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 Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria?
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 Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria tonight?
About 9.7 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 Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria.

More in Plateau State

Other sky reports in the same region.

Sky tonight across Nigeria

Other cities in Nigeria 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 6 days

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

Full viewing guide →

Related astronomy for Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this just astronomy weather for Yelwa?

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 Yelwa, Plateau State, Nigeria.

What are tonight's astronomy viewing conditions for Yelwa?

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