- Tonight in Saint Petersburg: Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Uranus and Neptune visible.
- Jupiter: morning, from 02:30, highest 33° in the south-east around 06:20.
- Saturn: visible all night, highest 32° in the south around 00:50.
- Mars: morning, from 00:50, highest 44° in the south-east around 06:20.
- Dark from 19:51 to 05:46; sunset 18:22.
- The Moon is 25% lit: no interference.
- Next meteor shower: the Draconids, peak 8 Oct, up to 10 meteors an hour.
The view looking straight up: the zenith in the centre, the horizon at the edge, north at the top, east on the left. Move the time to watch the sky turn through the night.
Planets tonight in Saint Petersburg
The five planets you can see without any instrument, and the Moon. Local time; direction and height are given for the moment the planet stands highest in a dark sky.
In the south-east, 36° up, around 06:20
- Rises
- 00:48
- Sets
- —
- Brightness
- −8.8
- Constellation
- Cancer
- Distance
- 373,000 km
- Lit
- 25 %
The Moon moves about 6° across the stars in a night and rises about 50 minutes later each evening. A bright Moon washes out faint stars and meteors.
- Rises
- —
- Sets
- —
- Brightness
- −4.6
- Constellation
- Virgo
- Distance
- 48 million km
- Lit
- 11 %
The brightest point in the night sky after the Moon. Called the Evening or Morning Star because it never gets more than 47° from the Sun.
In the south-east, 33° up, around 06:20
- Rises
- 01:34
- Sets
- —
- Brightness
- −1.9
- Constellation
- Leo
- Distance
- 877 million km
The largest planet, a bright white point. Binoculars show up to four large moons that change places through the night.
In the south-east, 44° up, around 06:20
- Rises
- 23:44
- Sets
- —
- Brightness
- 1.1
- Constellation
- Cancer
- Distance
- 244 million km
A reddish, steady point. Its brightness changes several-fold over two years and peaks at opposition.
In the south, 32° up, around 00:50
- Rises
- 18:28
- Sets
- 07:02
- Brightness
- 0.2
- Constellation
- Cetus
- Distance
- 1,262 million km
A yellowish, steady point. The rings need a telescope, though a small one at 25–30× is enough.
- Rises
- —
- Sets
- 18:23
- Brightness
- −0.1
- Constellation
- Virgo
- Distance
- 166 million km
- Lit
- 71 %
The planet closest to the Sun. Seen only low on the horizon shortly after sunset or before sunrise, a few weeks at a time.
In binoculars or a telescope also: Uranus – morning, from 20:20; Neptune – visible all night.
The night hour by hour
Each bar shows when a body is above the horizon. The bright part is when it is higher than 5° and the sky is dark enough: that is when you will actually see it.
Coming up
What happens in the sky over the next 30 days: Moon phases, the Moon passing planets, meteor showers, oppositions and eclipses. Local time.
| Date | Event | What you will see |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 5 Oct | The Moon near Mars | About 1.1° apart. Look for Mars next to the Moon. |
| Tue 6 Oct | The Moon near Jupiter | About 0.3° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon. |
| Thu 8 Oct | Draconids meteor shower peak | Up to 10 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 4% lit and will not interfere. |
| Fri 9 Oct | Southern Taurids meteor shower peak | Up to 5 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 0% lit and will not interfere. |
| Sat 10 Oct18:50 | New Moon | The darkest nights of the month: the best time for stars and meteors. |
| Mon 12 Oct | The Moon near Venus | About 2.8° apart, but Venus is not visible that night. |
| Mon 12 Oct13:06 | Mercury farthest from the Sun | 25° in the evening sky. Too low at this latitude this time, hard to see. |
| Mon 12 Oct | The Moon near Mercury | About 2.0° apart, but Mercury is not visible that night. |
| Sun 18 Oct19:13 | First quarter | Half the disc lit, in the south in the evening, sets around midnight. |
| Wed 21 Oct | Orionids meteor shower peak | Up to 20 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 75% lit: only the brightest meteors will show. |
| Mon 26 Oct07:12 | Full Moon | The Moon is up all night and washes out faint stars and meteors. |
| Sun 1 Nov23:28 | Last quarter | The Moon rises around midnight, so the evening is dark. |
| Mon 2 Nov | The Moon near Mars | About 1.0° apart. Look for Mars next to the Moon. |
| Tue 3 Nov | The Moon near Jupiter | About 0.5° apart. Look for Jupiter next to the Moon. |
Observing conditions tonight
The sky is dark from 19:51 to 05:46: 9 h 54 min to observe.
The Moon is 25% lit, rises 00:48: no interference. Moon phase today →
Geomagnetic storm (Kp 5.3): northern lights possible low in the north; a camera catches them more often than the eye. Geomagnetic storms →
Meteor showers 2026–2027
The main meteor showers of the year from the International Meteor Organization calendar. The peak date is computed from the Sun's position; the Moon's phase is at the peak. The hourly rate is what an observer would see in a perfectly dark sky with the radiant overhead; expect fewer.
| Shower | Peak | Active | Per hour | Moon at peak | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draconids | 8 Oct | 6 Oct – 10 Oct | 10 | 4 % | 21P/Giacobini–Zinner |
| Southern Tauridsactive now | 9 Oct | 10 Sep – 20 Nov | 5 | 0 % | 2P/Encke |
| Orionidsactive now | 21 Oct | 2 Oct – 7 Nov | 20 | 75 % | 1P/Halley |
| Northern Taurids | 12 Nov | 20 Oct – 10 Dec | 5 | 9 % | 2P/Encke |
| Leonids | 17 Nov | 6 Nov – 30 Nov | 15 | 51 % | 55P/Tempel–Tuttle |
| Geminids | 13 Dec | 4 Dec – 20 Dec | 150 | 22 % | 3200 Phaethon |
| Ursids | 22 Dec | 17 Dec – 26 Dec | 10 | 96 % | 8P/Tuttle |
| Quadrantids | 3 Jan 2027 | 28 Dec – 12 Jan | 80 | 14 % | 2003 EH1 |
| Lyrids | 22 Apr 2027 | 14 Apr – 30 Apr | 18 | 96 % | C/1861 G1 (Thatcher) |
| Eta Aquariids | 5 May 2027 | 19 Apr – 28 May | 50 | 0 % | 1P/Halley |
| Southern Delta Aquariids | 29 Jul 2027 | 12 Jul – 23 Aug | 25 | 13 % | 96P/Machholz |
| Alpha Capricornids | 29 Jul 2027 | 3 Jul – 15 Aug | 5 | 13 % | 169P/NEAT |
| Perseids | 12 Aug 2027 | 17 Jul – 24 Aug | 100 | 84 % | 109P/Swift–Tuttle |
What you can see with the naked eye
Five planets are visible without instruments: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Uranus and Neptune are too faint. The planets always stay near the ecliptic, the Sun's yearly path, so look for them in the same band of sky where the Sun and the Moon rise and set.
The easiest way to tell a planet from a star is the light: stars twinkle, planets shine steadily, because their disc, small as it is, is larger than a star's point.
How to observe
Move away from street lights and lit windows. Your eyes need 20–30 minutes to adapt to the dark; a phone screen undoes it, so use red light or the night mode.
City skies are fine for planets and the Moon. Meteors and faint stars need a dark place outside town and as little moonlight as possible.
7×50 or 10×50 binoculars show the Moon's craters, Jupiter's moons and the phase of Venus. Saturn's rings need a telescope.
What brightness (magnitude) means
Astronomers measure brightness in magnitudes: the smaller the number, the brighter the object. One magnitude is about 2.5 times. Venus is around −4, Jupiter around −2, Sirius, the brightest star, −1.5.
A city sky shows stars down to magnitude 3–4, a dark countryside down to 6. All five planets, when visible, are brighter than magnitude 2.
Why the planets move
The stars keep their places: the same stars rise about 4 minutes earlier every evening. The planets wander through the constellations because they orbit the Sun along with the Earth.
Mercury and Venus orbit inside the Earth's orbit and never stray far from the Sun: Mercury no more than 28°, Venus 47°. They show only in the evening or morning. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are best at opposition, when the Earth is between them and the Sun: they rise at sunset, shine all night and are at their brightest.
Sky tonight in other cities
Questions people ask
Which planets are visible tonight?
On 5 Oct in Saint Petersburg: Jupiter (morning, from 02:30), Saturn (visible all night), Mars (morning, from 00:50), Uranus (morning, from 20:20) and Neptune (visible all night). Direction and height are on the planet cards.
When does it get dark tonight?
Sunset is at 18:22; the sky is dark enough from 19:51 to 05:46. It is fully dark when the Sun is 18° below the horizon.
How do I tell a planet from a star?
Planets do not twinkle and shine with a steady light; stars twinkle, especially low on the horizon. Planets also always sit in the ecliptic band, where the Sun and Moon rise and set.
When is the next meteor shower?
The Draconids: peak 8 Oct, up to 10 meteors an hour in a perfect sky. The Moon is 4% lit and will not interfere.
Will the northern lights be visible tonight?
Geomagnetic storm (Kp 5.3): northern lights possible low in the north; a camera catches them more often than the eye.
Will the Moon get in the way?
The Moon is 25% lit and rises at 00:48: no interference. The Moon does not hide planets, but it does hide faint stars and meteors.
- Astronomy Engine (Don Cross): planet and Moon positions from the VSOP87 and NOVAS models, accurate to about 1′.
- International Meteor Organization, Meteor Shower Calendar: activity periods, solar longitudes of the peaks, ZHR.
- NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center: planetary Kp index.
- NOAA solar calculator equations: sunset, sunrise and twilight.
Positions are computed for every night at this city's coordinates every 10 minutes. A planet counts as visible when the Sun is more than 6° below the horizon and the planet is higher than 5°.