Tonight
Should I look up tonight?
One answer for anywhere on Earth. The space station, meteor showers, the aurora, the Moon and the clouds, worked out for your sky tonight.
How the answer is worked out
The space station
ISS passes are calculated in your browser from the latest orbit published by CelesTrak, the same way Overhead does. Only passes you can actually see count: the station in sunlight, your sky dark.
Clouds and darkness
The hourly cloud forecast from Open-Meteo is matched against the hours your sky is properly dark. The score from 0 to 100 adds in how bright the Moon is and how long it is up.
Meteors and the aurora
Meteor showers from the International Meteor Organization's calendar, and the aurora from NOAA's Kp forecast against how far from the magnetic pole you are. Solar and Asteroids & Meteors go much deeper.
Your place is used only to work this out. Searches and forecasts go through our own server, so the weather service never sees you, and nothing is stored. Times are local to the place you choose.
Good to know
Quick answers
Can I see stars tonight?
If your sky is clear and dark. The answer above checks the cloud forecast for each hour of darkness where you are, and how bright the Moon is, and turns it into one score from 0 to 100.
What is the best time to stargaze?
When the sky is fully dark, the Moon is down or thin, and there is little cloud. Give your eyes about 20 minutes to adjust, away from screens and street lights. In summer, far north, the sky may never get fully dark.
Do I need a dark sky to see meteors?
It helps a lot. A bright town sky or a full Moon hides most meteors, so from a city you only see the brightest ones. From the countryside you can see several times as many.
Why can’t I see the ISS every night?
It is only visible when your sky is dark but the station, 420 km up, is still in sunlight: in the hours around dusk and dawn. That lines up for a few days to a couple of weeks at a time, then there is a gap.
News & updates
Look up. We'll tell you when.
An email when the apps arrive on Google Play, and the occasional night worth going outside for: meteor showers, aurora alerts, eclipses. No more than once a month.
Questions or ideas?
Found a bug, want a feature, or spotted something odd in the sky data? Send a message here, or email us.
hello@nearspace.app