Planet & Star Position Finder (What's in the Sky Tonight)
See where the Sun, Moon and planets are in your sky right now or at any date and time — altitude, compass direction, constellation, brightness, and rise and set times — plus the Moon's phase.
How to use
- 1Enter your latitude and longitude (or a city's), the date, time and UTC offset.
- 2See which planets are above the horizon and where to look.
- 3Bright planets (magnitude below about 1) are easy to see with the naked eye once the sky is dark.
How it's calculated
Apparent positions from the VSOP87/ELP models in astronomy-engine, corrected for aberration and refraction. Altitude above 0° means above the horizon; azimuth is measured clockwise from north.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find a planet in the sky?
Face the compass direction shown and look up by the altitude: 0° is the horizon, 90° straight overhead — a fist at arm's length is about 10°. Planets don't twinkle much and stay near the path the Sun and Moon follow.
What do the magnitudes mean?
Lower is brighter. Venus is about −4, Jupiter −2 to −3, Mars from −2 to +1.8; stars you can see in a city are typically brighter than +2.
Where do I get my latitude and longitude?
From a map app (long-press a location) or our IP location tool. North and east are positive; south and west are negative.