🌙 Tonight's Sky in Daejeon — Sat, October 17, 2026
South Korea · 36.35°, 127.38° · Computed 10-18 11:45 UTC+9
🛰️ Tonight's naked-eye ISS pass
ISS over Daejeon 04:57–05:02 · north-northeast→northeast · max 43°
emerges from Earth's shadow · A bright, steady star crosses the sky in 3–6 minutes, no blinking. No equipment needed — visible even from a city centre.
Tonight in brief
On Sat, October 17, 2026 the Sun sets over Daejeon at 17:52; astronomical twilight ends at 19:17 and the sky is fully dark for 9.9 hours until 05:14, with sunrise at 06:39. The Moon is a first quarter (40.4% lit) and is already up at dusk, setting at 22:12 — after that the sky is moonless.
Naked-eye planets tonight: Jupiter, Mars, Saturn. Jupiter rises in the east at 01:38 and climbs to 54° in the southeast by 06:13 before dawn. Mars rises in the northeast at 00:40 and climbs to 64° in the southeast by 06:13 before dawn. Saturn is already 11° up in the east at dusk, peaks at 55° in the south at 23:28, and sets in the west at 05:34. Uranus (binoculars/telescope) rises in the northeast at 19:50 and climbs to 75° in the south by 02:58 before dawn. Neptune (binoculars/telescope) is already 16° up in the east at dusk, peaks at 53° in the south at 22:57, and sets in the west at 04:58. Venus is too close to the Sun to be seen tonight. Mercury stays too low on the horizon.
The International Space Station crosses from north-northeast to northeast between 04:57 and 05:02, reaching 43° and shining like a bright star to the naked eye — it pops out of Earth's shadow at 04:57. Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS (JPL mag. 15) is highest at 19:48, 60° in the south; Comet 2P/Encke (JPL mag. 17.1) is highest at 22:58, 72° in the south — both remain telescope/imaging targets. Kp is 1 (quiet), so aurora is possible only above about 64.9° geomagnetic latitude — not expected from Daejeon (latitude 36.4°). Coming up: Orionid meteor shower peak in 4 days, Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS perihelion in 41 days, Geminid meteor shower peak in 57 days.
☀️🌙 Sun & Moon
🪐 Planets — visible tonight?
- Mercury0.0Not visible · too lowRises · direction: already up at duskSets · direction: 18:46 · SW 245°Highest (altitude · direction · time): 5° · SW 241° · 18:18
- Venus-4.2Not visible · too close to the SunRises · direction: —Sets · direction: —Highest (altitude · direction · time): —
- Mars+1.0Visible · pre-dawnRises · direction: 00:40 (next day) · NE 66°Sets · direction: until dawnHighest (altitude · direction · time): 64° · SE 127° · 06:13 (next day)
- Jupiter-1.9Visible · pre-dawnRises · direction: 01:38 (next day) · E 71°Sets · direction: until dawnHighest (altitude · direction · time): 54° · SE 118° · 06:13 (next day)
- Saturn+0.3Visible · midnightRises · direction: already up at duskSets · direction: 05:34 (next day) · W 272°Highest (altitude · direction · time): 55° · S 180° · 23:28
- Uranus+5.6Visible · pre-dawnRises · direction: 19:50 · NE 63°Sets · direction: until dawnHighest (altitude · direction · time): 75° · S 180° · 02:58 (next day)
- Neptune+7.8Visible · midnightRises · direction: already up at duskSets · direction: 04:58 (next day) · W 270°Highest (altitude · direction · time): 53° · S 180° · 22:57
- Pluto+14.6Visible · eveningRises · direction: already up at duskSets · direction: 23:59 · SW 241°Highest (altitude · direction · time): 30° · S 180° · 19:12
Pluto is a dwarf planet at magnitude 14–15 — a large-telescope / imaging target
☄️ Comets 2P & 161P — tonight's position
| Comet | JPL predicted mag. | Highest | Equipment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS RA 21.03h · Dec +6.5° · Δ 0.664 AU | 15.0 | 60° · S 180° · 19:48 | large telescope / imaging |
| Comet 2P/Encke RA 0.19h · Dec +17.9° · Δ 1.016 AU | 17.1 | 72° · S 181° · 22:58 | large telescope / imaging |
Magnitudes are JPL M1/K1 predictions and can differ from observations (COBS) by 2–3 magnitudes. Coordinates J2000.
🛰️ All ISS passes (24 h from local noon)
| Time | Start (dir.) | Max. elevation | End (dir.) | Visible? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:10–12:21 | NW 310° | 78° · W 283° | SE 134° | Daylight (not visible) |
| 03:16 (next day)–03:25 | S 183° | 12° · SE 129° | E 71° | In Earth's shadow (not visible) |
| 04:57 (next day)–05:02 | N 15° | 43° · N 15° | NE 46° | Visible to the naked eye |
| 06:29 (next day)–06:39 | W 282° | 12° · N 340° | NE 36° | In Earth's shadow (not visible) |
| 09:46 (next day)–09:55 | NW 325° | 11° · NE 23° | E 76° | Daylight (not visible) |
| 11:22 (next day)–11:33 | NW 315° | 52° · NE 52° | SE 122° | Daylight (not visible) |
ISS TLE epoch: 2026-10-17 19:43 UTC · CelesTrak
📡 Receiving passes — Meteor-M N2-4 · NOAA-20 · NOAA-21 (max. elevation ≥ 20°)
For direct reception of 137.9 MHz LRPT (Meteor) and X-band (NOAA-20/21); day or night. Dish pointing angles are in the Sky & Impact Lab → Sat Pass tab.
| Satellite | Time | Max. elevation | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| NOAA-20 | 12:44–12:59 | 35° · E 68° | 15 min |
| NOAA-21 | 13:27–13:43 | 80° · W 250° | 15 min |
| NOAA-20 | 14:25–14:39 | 26° · W 261° | 14 min |
| Meteor-M N2-4 | 14:28–14:44 | 62° · E 71° | 15 min |
| NOAA-21 | 01:48 (next day)–02:04 | 52° · E 104° | 15 min |
| NOAA-20 | 02:45 (next day)–03:00 | 53° · W 280° | 15 min |
| Meteor-M N2-4 | 02:48 (next day)–03:02 | 30° · E 93° | 14 min |
| Meteor-M N2-4 | 04:28 (next day)–04:42 | 30° · NW 294° | 14 min |
🌌 Space weather in one line
Kp 1 · Quiet · aurora possible above 64.9° geomagnetic latitudeNOAA SWPC 2026-10-17T21:00
📅 Coming up
- in 4 daysOct 21Orionid meteor shower peak
Dust from Halley's Comet — night of Oct 21–22, about 10–20 per hour (AMS observed rate). The Moon sets after midnight, so pre-dawn is best.
Source: AMS Meteor Shower Calendar · Wiki
- in 41 daysNov 27Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS perihelion
The Halley-type comet, back after 21.5 years, reaches its closest point to the Sun (1.28 AU). A telescope/imaging target at magnitude 10–12.
Source: NASA JPL Small-Body Database · Wiki
- in 57 daysDec 13Geminid meteor shower peak
The richest shower of the year — night of Dec 13–14, with a 15%-lit Moon: good conditions.
Source: AMS Meteor Shower Calendar
🌍 Other cities
How this is computed
Planets, Moon and Sun: astronomy-engine (VSOP87, refraction-corrected). Comets: two-body propagation of JPL SBDB elements. Satellites: CelesTrak TLE + SGP4. An ISS pass is “visible” when the Sun is at least 6° below the observer's horizon and the satellite is outside Earth's shadow (cylindrical model). A planet is “visible” when it reaches 5° altitude after civil dusk. All times are in the city's time zone; the date rolls to the next night at local noon. Recomputed every 30 minutes.