73° UPScorpiusthe Scorpion
Looksouth-eastern sky
Anchor starAntares
How to know itA genuinely scorpion-shaped curve of stars led by red Antares, riding low across the southern summer sky.
SKY · CONSTELLATIONS · NAMIBIA · DARK-SKY
Constellations Visible Tonight — Windhoek
Tonight over Windhoek, 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 · WINDHOEK
Dark by7:11 PM
Until7:31 AM
High up now10
Never rise here2
Altitudes computed for Windhoek (-22.6°, 17.1°) during tonight's dark hours.
High in the sky over Windhoek tonight
63° UPCentaurusthe Centaur
Looksouthern sky
Anchor starAlpha Centauri
How to know itHolds Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to the Sun, and wraps around the Southern Cross.
53° UPCruxthe Southern Cross
Looksouthern 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.
47° 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.
45° UPLeothe Lion
Looknorth-western sky
Anchor starRegulus
How to know itA backwards question-mark (the "Sickle") forms the Lion’s head, anchored by bright Regulus.
40° UPSagittariusthe Archer / the Teapot
Lookeastern 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.
37° UPBoötesthe Herdsman
Looknorthern sky
Anchor starArcturus
How to know itA kite-shaped figure led by Arcturus, the brightest star of the northern spring sky.
33° UPAquilathe Eagle
Lookwestern sky
Anchor starAltair
How to know itBright Altair completes the Summer Triangle with Vega and Deneb, straddling the celestial equator.
32° UPCarinathe Keel
Looksouth-western sky
Anchor starCanopus
How to know itHome to Canopus, the second-brightest star in the sky, and the spectacular Carina Nebula — a far-southern jewel.
26° 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.
“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 Windhoek
These clear the horizon but stay low, so trees and buildings may hide them: Canis Major (~17°, western) · Cygnus (~14°, north-western) · Lyra (~12°, north-eastern) · Ursa Major (~10°, northern) · Cassiopeia (~5°, northern) · Taurus (~4°, eastern) · Perseus (~3°, north-eastern).
Out of reach from Windhoek
At Windhoek's latitude these never climb above the horizon, so you can't see them from here at any time of year: Gemini, Orion. To catch them, you'd need to travel toward the Northern Hemisphere.
Windhoek right now
More sky over Windhoek
SEE IT ON THE MAP
The live sky map shows the day/night line over Windhoek in real time.