Tonight's Sky — live star map

What's in the sky tonight?

This free live star map answers the question the moment you open it: it computes the positions of 900+ naked-eye stars, all 88 constellations, the planets and the Moon for your exact coordinates and the current second — entirely in your browser. All calculations run in your browser. Whether you spotted a suspiciously bright "star" (usually Venus or Jupiter), want to know which planets are visible tonight, or are planning a stargazing session, the panorama above shows the real sky over your head, updated live.

How to use the star map

Press 📍 My location (or search a city) so the panorama matches your sky, then drag to look around: the ground line is your horizon with compass bearings, and straight up is the zenith. The bodies table lists the altitude, direction and rise/set times of the Sun, Moon and every planet, and the tonight timeline shows when each one is up. Use the time control or drag the timeline to jump to any moment — check where Jupiter will be at 11 pm, replay a past night, or hit fast-forward and watch the whole sky wheel around the celestial pole. The glance cards at the top track sunset and sunrise, tonight's Moon phase, and how dark your sky currently is.

Stargazing tonight: quick tips

Start after astronomical twilight (roughly 90 minutes after sunset — the darkness card tells you live), give your eyes 20–30 minutes to adapt, and use a red light to keep them adapted. City light pollution hides faint stars, but the Moon, planets and bright constellations like Orion, Ursa Major and Cassiopeia punch straight through. Before you head out, check the clouds on the rain & cloud radar, see if the ISS passes overhead tonight, and if geomagnetic activity is high, watch the live aurora forecast.

Planets, stars and constellations tonight

What planets are visible in the sky tonight?

It changes night to night — which is exactly what this live star map shows. Enter your location and every planet above your horizon appears in the panorama, with altitude, compass direction and rise/set times in the bodies table. As a rule of thumb: Venus and Jupiter are the two brightest planets and outshine every star, Mars glows a distinct orange-red, Saturn shines steady and yellowish, Mercury only hugs the horizon shortly after sunset or before sunrise, and Uranus and Neptune need binoculars or a telescope.

What is the very bright star I can see tonight?

Nine times out of ten, a strikingly bright "star" is actually a planet — usually Venus (the "evening star" or "morning star") or Jupiter. Check the map: planets are drawn with coloured, labelled dots. If it really is a star, the brightest in the night sky is Sirius, followed by Canopus, Arcturus and Vega. If the light moves steadily across the sky it's probably the ISS or another satellite, and if it blinks red and green it's an aircraft.

How can I tell a planet from a star?

Three giveaways: planets shine with a steady light while stars twinkle (stars are point sources, so atmospheric turbulence makes them flicker); planets sit along the ecliptic — the same band the Sun and Moon travel; and planets visibly change position against the stars from night to night ("planet" literally means "wanderer" in Greek). Venus and Jupiter are also simply brighter than any star. On this map you don't have to guess: planets are drawn with coloured, labelled markers.

What constellations can I see tonight?

That depends on your latitude, the season and the time of night — the map draws all 88 constellations that are above your horizon right now. From mid-northern latitudes you can always see circumpolar constellations such as Ursa Major (with the Big Dipper), Cassiopeia and Ursa Minor. Seasonal highlights: Orion and Taurus in winter, Leo in spring, Cygnus and Scorpius in summer, Pegasus and Andromeda in autumn. Click any constellation name in the panorama to highlight its stick figure.

How do I find the North Star (Polaris)?

Find the Big Dipper in Ursa Major, take the two stars at the front of its "bowl" (Dubhe and Merak), and extend the line between them about five times its length — you land on Polaris. Two surprises: Polaris is not particularly bright (only the ~48th brightest star), and its height above the horizon equals your latitude, which is why sailors used it for navigation. It sits almost exactly above Earth's axis, so it marks due north all night, all year.

When and how to look

What time is best for stargazing tonight?

The best window starts when astronomical twilight ends — when the Sun sinks more than 18° below the horizon, roughly 90 minutes to two hours after sunset depending on season and latitude. The "sky darkness" card on this page tells you the current state live. For the faintest objects, also pick a night near new moon: a bright gibbous or full Moon washes out the Milky Way and faint stars. Use the fast-forward button to preview how tonight's sky develops hour by hour.

What is the Moon phase tonight?

The Moon-phase card on this page shows tonight's phase and illumination percentage live for your location. The Moon runs through its 29.5-day cycle: new moon → waxing crescent → first quarter → waxing gibbous → full moon → waning gibbous → last quarter → waning crescent. Around full moon the sky never gets properly dark, so deep-sky observers plan around the new moon; casual Moon-watching is actually best near first quarter, when low sunlight angles throw its craters into sharp relief.

Why can I see so few stars from the city?

Light pollution. Scattered artificial light brightens the sky background until faint stars disappear — a city-centre sky (Bortle class 8–9) shows only a few dozen to a few hundred stars, while a truly dark site (Bortle 1–2) reveals thousands plus the Milky Way. You can fight back: let your eyes dark-adapt for 20–30 minutes, block direct light sources, observe after midnight when many lights switch off, and when possible drive even 30–60 km out of the city.

Do I need a telescope to start stargazing?

Start with your naked eye and this map: learn the bright stars, the planets and a dozen constellations first. The classic second step is a pair of 7×50 or 10×50 binoculars, which already show the Moon's craters, Jupiter's four largest moons, the Pleiades cluster and the Andromeda galaxy. Only then consider a telescope, once you can navigate the sky and know what you enjoy observing. The best instrument is the one you actually take outside.

Satellites and aurora

Can I see the ISS or satellites tonight?

Very likely — the International Space Station is the third-brightest object in the sky and crosses it in about five minutes, looking like a brilliant, steady, non-blinking star. Satellites are only visible when they catch sunlight, so the best windows are within roughly two hours after sunset or before sunrise. This star map focuses on stars, planets and the Moon; for exact ISS and satellite pass times over your location, use the free Satellite Flyby tracker.

Can I see the northern lights (aurora) tonight?

Only during geomagnetic storms, and the further north you are, the better your odds. Aurora visibility depends on the Kp index: Kp 5+ can bring the aurora to northern-central Europe, Kp 7+ occasionally as far south as Belgium or the northern USA. It's independent of normal stargazing conditions, so check a live forecast such as the free Aurora Watch map, and look toward the northern horizon from a dark location.

About the map

How do I read this star map?

The view is a wide-angle panorama of the sky as seen from where you stand: the ground silhouette is your horizon with compass bearings along it, the sky above darkens with the real twilight stage, and straight overhead is the zenith. Drag to look in any direction and scroll or pinch to zoom; the small dial in the corner shows where you are facing. To match it to the real sky, face the compass direction at the centre of the view and tilt your head up by the altitude shown. Hover or click a star for its name, click a constellation name to highlight it, and enable ecliptic to see the line along which the Sun, Moon and planets travel. The pale band is the Milky Way, drawn from the galactic plane.

Can I see what the sky looked like on a past date, or preview a future night?

Use the time control to enter any date and time — the whole sky, including planet positions and the Moon phase, is recomputed instantly for that moment at your location. The fast-forward button animates the sky in 4-minute steps, which is a great way to preview tonight: watch which constellations rise, when the Moon gets out of the way, and where a planet will be at 11 pm before you head outside.

How accurate is this star map?

Positions are computed with astronomy-engine (MIT-licensed, by Don Cross), which delivers roughly arcminute-level accuracy for the Sun, Moon and planets — far finer than the eye can distinguish — and rise/set times typically within a minute. The star catalogue contains 900+ naked-eye stars from the Yale Bright Star Catalog with all 88 IAU constellations. Everything is calculated live in your browser for your exact coordinates and time; it's ideal for naked-eye observing, though telescope users should use dedicated pointing software.

Privacy, price and phones

The star map is free, with no account, no app and no ads, and it works on phones, tablets and desktops; fullscreen mode turns it into a planetarium wallboard that keeps your screen awake and slowly pans around the horizon. All sky calculations run in your browser. Two small lookups do leave your device: when you press My location, your coordinates are sent to BigDataCloud to show the place name, and a city search is sent to the Open-Meteo geocoding service. Outdoors, switch on your phone’s red-light or night filter to keep your dark adaptation.