86° UPSagittariusthe Archer / the Teapot
Looksouthern sky
Anchor starKaus Australis
How to know itIts bright stars form a "Teapot" — and it points straight at the dense, glowing centre of the Milky Way.
SKY · CONSTELLATIONS · CHILE · DARK-SKY
Constellations Visible Tonight — Atacama Desert
Tonight over Atacama Desert, 10 of the bright, easy-to-spot constellations climb high into a dark sky. Here's what's up, how high, and which way to face.
DARK-SKY WINDOW TONIGHT · ATACAMA DESERT
Dark by6:51 PM
Until7:21 AM
High up now10
Never rise here4
Altitudes computed for Atacama Desert (-24.5°, -69.3°) during tonight's dark hours.
High in the sky over Atacama Desert tonight
75° UPScorpiusthe Scorpion
Looksouth-western sky
Anchor starAntares
How to know itA genuinely scorpion-shaped curve of stars led by red Antares, riding low across the southern summer sky.
62° UPAquilathe Eagle
Looknorthern sky
Anchor starAltair
How to know itBright Altair completes the Summer Triangle with Vega and Deneb, straddling the celestial equator.
45° UPPegasusthe Winged Horse
Looknorthern sky
Anchor starMarkab
How to know itThe "Great Square" of Pegasus is a big, easy autumn signpost high in the eastern sky.
36° UPCentaurusthe Centaur
Looksouth-western sky
Anchor starAlpha Centauri
How to know itHolds Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to the Sun, and wraps around the Southern Cross.
28° UPLyrathe Lyre
Looknorthern sky
Anchor starVega
How to know itSmall but led by Vega, one of the brightest stars in the sky and a corner of the Summer Triangle.
28° UPCruxthe Southern Cross
Looksouth-western sky
Anchor starAcrux
How to know itThe smallest constellation, but the most famous in the south — its long axis points toward the south celestial pole.
25° UPAndromedathe Chained Princess
Looknorthern sky
Anchor starAlpheratz
How to know itHome to the Andromeda Galaxy — the most distant thing visible to the naked eye, a faint smudge on a dark night.
23° UPCygnusthe Swan / the Northern Cross
Looknorthern sky
Anchor starDeneb
How to know itA great cross of stars flying down the summer Milky Way, with brilliant Deneb at its tail.
21° UPBoötesthe Herdsman
Looknorth-western sky
Anchor starArcturus
How to know itA kite-shaped figure led by Arcturus, the brightest star of the northern spring sky.
“Up” is the highest the centre of each pattern gets above the horizon tonight — your fist at arm's length spans about 10°. Directions are where to face when it's best placed.
Low on the horizon from Atacama Desert
These clear the horizon but stay low, so trees and buildings may hide them: Taurus (~6°, north-eastern) · Carina (~5°, south-eastern) · Cassiopeia (~4°, northern) · Perseus (~3°, north-eastern) · Orion (~0°, eastern).
Out of reach from Atacama Desert
At Atacama Desert's latitude these never climb above the horizon, so you can't see them from here at any time of year: Canis Major, Leo, Ursa Major, Gemini. To catch them, you'd need to travel toward the Northern Hemisphere.
Atacama Desert right now
More sky over Atacama Desert
SEE IT ON THE MAP
The live sky map shows the day/night line over Atacama Desert in real time.