Our Solar System

Rome · Tonight, Tuesday 20 October

Tonight's sky over Rome

The Sun sets at 18:21 and the sky is fully dark from 19:54 until 05:56. Saturn is up most of the night, then Mars and Jupiter before dawn. The Moon, a waxing gibbous 71% lit, sets at 02:03.

Sunset18:21

Fully dark19:54 to 05:56

Sunrise07:29

ClockRome time, CEST

See Rome's sky live → Planets tonight ↓
Sunset
18:21
Sunrise 07:29
Dark sky
19:54
until 05:56, 10 h 2 min
Moon
71%
Waxing gibbous, sets 02:03
Planets
3
Mars, Jupiter and Saturn

The night, hour by hour

The sky over Rome from sunset to sunrise, on the town's own clock: the band shades from twilight to full dark and back, and each bar is when the Moon or a planet is above the horizon, drawn bright while it can be seen. The dot is the best moment to look.

Sunset 18:21Dark 19:54Dawn 05:56Sunrise 07:29
181920212223000102030405060708
Moon
Mercury
Venus
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune

Planets tonight

Where and when to look for each planet from Rome. A planet counts as visible when it is at least 5° up once civil twilight is over; Uranus and Neptune need 10° and a darker sky, and binoculars or a telescope.

The Moon tonight

Waxing gibbous, 71% lit

Rises 15:38 · Sets 02:03. Highest in the dark at 20:50, 32° up in the south. The Moon is 10.3 days old.

  • Full MoonMon 26 Oct, 05:11
  • Last quarterSun 1 Nov, 21:28
  • New MoonMon 9 Nov, 08:01
  • First quarterTue 17 Nov, 12:47

ISS passes over Rome

The International Space Station crosses the sky as a bright, steady point, faster than a plane and without blinking lights. These are its visible passes over Rome in the next five days, worked out in your browser from its latest orbit.

Working out the passes from the station's latest orbit…

Get an email before it passes

We email you on the day of each good pass over Rome, with the time and where to look. Free, and you can stop it any time.

The station's live position, its orbit and every pass on a 3D Earth are on where is the ISS.

The aurora from Rome

Rome is too far from the auroral oval to see the northern lights: on NOAA's rule of thumb even the strongest storm on its scale, Kp 9, leaves it below the northern horizon. NOAA calls the rule approximate, and the rarest storms have reached further, but from here the aurora is a once-in-a-generation sight.

The live forecast and the best time to look are on northern lights tonight.

The next two weeks

Each night's sunset, its fully dark hours and the Moon. The last column is the darkness with the Moon down, the time for faint stars and the Milky Way; the best nights are marked.

NightSunsetFully darkMoonDark, no Moon
Tonight18:2119:54 to 05:5671% ↑ 15:38 ↓ 02:033 h 53 min
Wed 21 Oct18:2019:52 to 05:5780% ↑ 16:01 ↓ 03:092 h 48 min
Thu 22 Oct18:1819:51 to 05:5888% ↑ 16:23 ↓ 04:171 h 41 min
Fri 23 Oct18:1719:50 to 05:5994% ↑ 16:44 ↓ 05:2633 min
Sat 24 Oct18:1519:48 to 05:0098% ↑ 17:06 ↓ 05:38–
Sun 25 Oct17:1418:47 to 05:01100% ↑ 16:31 ↓ 06:54–
Mon 26 Oct17:1218:46 to 05:0299% ↑ 17:01 ↓ 08:13–
Tue 27 Oct17:1118:45 to 05:0495% ↑ 17:38 ↓ 09:32–
Wed 28 Oct17:1018:43 to 05:0589% ↑ 18:25 ↓ 10:45–
Thu 29 Oct17:0818:42 to 05:0681% ↑ 19:25 ↓ 11:4843 min
Fri 30 Oct17:0718:41 to 05:0771% ↑ 20:351 h 54 min
Sat 31 Oct17:0618:40 to 05:0860% ↑ 21:50 ↓ 12:373 h 10 min
Sun 1 Nov17:0418:39 to 05:0949% ↑ 23:07 ↓ 13:164 h 28 min
Mon 2 Nov17:0318:37 to 05:1038% ↑ 00:21 ↓ 13:475 h 44 min

Coming up in Rome's sky

The next eclipses, meteor showers and planets at opposition, as they will look from Rome. Press Remind me and we email you the day before.

Every event for the next two years is on the sky events calendar.

The Earth's shadow rising in the east after sunset, drawn by the planetarium

The whole sky over Rome, live

Our free planetarium draws the stars, the planets, the Moon and the Milky Way over Rome as they are right now, with the constellations named and when everything rises and sets.

Open Rome's sky →Keep tonight as a print

Questions

What time is sunset in Rome tonight?

The Sun sets at 18:21 CEST on Tuesday 20 October and rises again at 07:29 on Wednesday 21 October. Civil twilight ends at 18:49, when the brightest stars and planets appear.

When does it get dark in Rome tonight?

The sky is fully dark, with the Sun 18° below the horizon, from 19:54 until 05:56 CEST: 10 h 2 min, 3 h 53 min of it with the Moon down. Nautical twilight ends at 19:22.

Which planets can I see from Rome tonight?

Mars: From 01:35 until dawn. Best around 06:20, 56° up in the south-east. Jupiter: From 02:28 until dawn. Best around 06:20, 47° up in the south-east. Saturn: From dusk until 05:31. Best around 23:50, 50° up in the south. Mercury and Venus cannot be seen tonight.

What phase is the Moon tonight?

Waxing gibbous, 71% lit and 10.3 days old. It rises at 15:38 and sets at 02:03. The next full Moon is on Monday 26 October at 05:11 CET. Every phase this month is on Moon phase today.

Can I see the northern lights from Rome?

Rome is too far from the auroral oval to see the northern lights: on NOAA's rule of thumb even the strongest storm on its scale, Kp 9, leaves it below the northern horizon. NOAA calls the rule approximate, and the rarest storms have reached further, but from here the aurora is a once-in-a-generation sight. The live forecast is on northern lights tonight.

When can I see the ISS from Rome?

The station is only seen when it is in sunlight and your sky is dark, so its passes come in the hour or two after sunset or before sunrise, in runs of a few days a few times a month. The passes listed on this page are worked out in your browser from its latest orbit, and pass alerts by email are free.

What is the best night for stargazing in the next two weeks?

Monday 2 November, with 5 h 44 min of fully dark sky while the Moon is down. The table of the nights ahead has every night with its darkness and its Moon.

Nearby

Every town is on tonight's sky by town. Which planets are up for anyone on Earth is on planets visible tonight, and the Moon's phase on Moon phase today.

Sources