Tonight's Sky

Computed for right now: October 01, 2026 · 05:31 UTC. Everything below is location-independent guidance; exact rise and set times depend on where you stand.

The Moon

Waning Gibbous

78% illuminated · 19.4 days old

Next full moon: Oct 26 · next new moon: Oct 11

Sky darkness tonight: Bright: the Moon will wash out faint objects, so stick to planets and the Moon itself.

Visit the Moon →

The planets

Planet	Where to look	Naked eye?	Light delay
Mercury	Evening sky: look west after sunset	Bright but always low near the horizon in twilight	10 min
Venus	Evening sky: look west after sunset	The brightest planet, unmistakable when it's up	3 min
Mars	Morning sky: look east before dawn	Distinctly orange; brightness varies a lot with distance	14 min
Jupiter	Morning sky: look east before dawn	Second-brightest planet, bright even from cities	49 min
Saturn	Up nearly all night, close to opposition	Steady golden point; rings need a small telescope	70 min
Uranus	Morning sky: look east before dawn	At the naked-eye limit, so binoculars help	157 min
Neptune	Up nearly all night, close to opposition	Telescope only	240 min

Positions computed with JPL approximate orbital elements give good visibility guidance, not precise ephemerides. Light delay = how old the planet’s light is when it reaches your eye tonight.

Meteor activity

No major shower peaks in the next two weeks. See the full calendar for the year’s schedule.

Full calendar →

Coming up

December solstice December 21, 2026 · Worldwide Shortest day in the north, longest in the south.

Annular solar eclipse February 06, 2027 · Path over the southern Pacific, Chile, Argentina, Atlantic; partial across South America & West Africa A 'ring of fire' eclipse — the Moon too far to fully cover the Sun.

March equinox March 20, 2027 · Worldwide Spring begins in the north, autumn in the south.

June solstice June 21, 2027 · Worldwide Longest day in the north, shortest in the south.

Total solar eclipse — the long one August 02, 2027 · Path across southern Spain, northern Morocco/Algeria/Tunisia/Libya, Egypt (Luxor), Saudi Arabia, Yemen; partial across Europe, Africa, Middle East One of the century's great eclipses: totality up to 6 minutes 23 seconds — near the theoretical maximum.