Stargazing in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India

Dark-sky rating for Tiruvannamalai

Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India is a small city (population about 145,278). A place this size typically has a rural to suburban transition: the Milky Way core can be glimpsed on clear, moonless nights. That is an estimate of Bortle class 4–5 from population, not a measurement: the real value depends on the exact spot you observe from.

For a measured reading at any point, open the live Dark Sky map.

Nearest dark-sky places and observatories

• Vainu Bappu Observatory · observatory · about 47 km away

Milky Way season in Tiruvannamalai

The bright core of the Milky Way climbs high above the horizon haze. It climbs at least 20° above the horizon during astronomical darkness in February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, peaking in April at about 49°.

• The north celestial pole stands 12.2° above the horizon, so stars within 12° of it never set from here.
• About 60.6% 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 48.8° up, clearing the horizon haze comfortably.
• The Large Magellanic Cloud only reaches about 8.1° altitude, so it is a low, seasonal target rather than a year-round one.
• At 174 m elevation, roughly 2% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.

Tonight and aurora

As of October 20, 2026 (UTC) the Moon is a Waxing Gibbous at 63% illumination. Aurora at 12.2° latitude generally needs about Kp 9.0.

Nearby places

• Kallakurichi, Tamil Nadu, India
• Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India