🌙 Tonight's Sky in Osaka — Sat, October 17, 2026
Japan · 34.69°, 135.50° · Computed 10-18 11:43 UTC+9
🛰️ Tonight's naked-eye ISS pass
ISS over Osaka 03:24–03:26 · east-northeast→east-northeast · max 9°
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. (2×)
Tonight in brief
On Sat, October 17, 2026 the Sun sets over Osaka at 17:21; astronomical twilight ends at 18:45 and the sky is fully dark for 9.9 hours until 04:41, with sunrise at 06:05. The Moon is a first quarter (40.1% lit) and is already up at dusk, setting at 21:44 — after that the sky is moonless.
Naked-eye planets tonight: Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Mercury. Jupiter rises in the east at 01:08 and climbs to 54° in the southeast by 05:40 before dawn. Mars rises in the northeast at 00:11 and climbs to 65° in the southeast by 05:40 before dawn. Saturn is already 11° up in the east at dusk, peaks at 57° in the south at 22:55, and sets in the west at 05:01. Mercury is already 5° up in the southwest at dusk, peaks at 5° in the southwest at 17:46, and sets in the southwest at 18:17. Uranus (binoculars/telescope) rises in the northeast at 19:22 and climbs to 76° in the south by 02:26 before dawn. Neptune (binoculars/telescope) is already 16° up in the east at dusk, peaks at 55° in the south at 22:24, and sets in the west at 04:25. Venus is too close to the Sun to be seen tonight.
The International Space Station crosses from east-northeast to east-northeast between 03:24 and 03:26, reaching 9° and shining like a bright star to the naked eye — it pops out of Earth's shadow at 03:24. There are 2 visible passes tonight in total. Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS (JPL mag. 15) is highest at 19:16, 62° in the south; Comet 2P/Encke (JPL mag. 17.1) is highest at 22:26, 73° 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 Osaka (latitude 34.7°). 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?
- Mercury0.0Visible · eveningRises · direction: already up at duskSets · direction: 18:17 · SW 245°Highest (altitude · direction · time): 5° · SW 241° · 17:46
- Venus-4.2Not visible · too close to the SunRises · direction: —Sets · direction: —Highest (altitude · direction · time): —
- Mars+1.0Visible · pre-dawnRises · direction: 00:11 (next day) · NE 67°Sets · direction: until dawnHighest (altitude · direction · time): 65° · SE 124° · 05:40 (next day)
- Jupiter-1.9Visible · pre-dawnRises · direction: 01:08 (next day) · E 72°Sets · direction: until dawnHighest (altitude · direction · time): 54° · SE 116° · 05:40 (next day)
- Saturn+0.3Visible · midnightRises · direction: already up at duskSets · direction: 05:01 (next day) · W 272°Highest (altitude · direction · time): 57° · S 180° · 22:55
- Uranus+5.6Visible · pre-dawnRises · direction: 19:22 · NE 64°Sets · direction: until dawnHighest (altitude · direction · time): 76° · S 180° · 02:26 (next day)
- Neptune+7.8Visible · midnightRises · direction: already up at duskSets · direction: 04:25 (next day) · W 270°Highest (altitude · direction · time): 55° · S 180° · 22:24
- Pluto+14.6Visible · eveningRises · direction: already up at duskSets · direction: 23:31 · SW 241°Highest (altitude · direction · time): 32° · S 180° · 18:40
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 0.663 AU | 15.0 | 62° · S 180° · 19:16 | large telescope / imaging |
| Comet 2P/Encke RA 0.19h · Dec +17.9° · Δ 1.016 AU | 17.1 | 73° · S 181° · 22:26 | 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? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:11–12:22 | NW 306° | 41° · SW 214° | SE 148° | Daylight (not visible) |
| 03:24 (next day)–03:26 | NE 65° | 9° · NE 65° | NE 57° | Visible to the naked eye |
| 04:57 (next day)–05:03 | NW 316° | 23° · NW 330° | NE 37° | Visible to the naked eye |
| 09:48 (next day)–09:57 | NW 327° | 13° · NE 32° | E 87° | Daylight (not visible) |
| 11:24 (next day)–11:35 | NW 312° | 83° · SW 204° | SE 136° | 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 | 12:43–12:58 | 66° · E 70° | 15 min |
| NOAA-21 | 13:27–13:42 | 40° · W 255° | 15 min |
| Meteor-M N2-4 | 14:27–14:43 | 69° · W 253° | 15 min |
| NOAA-20 | 01:05 (next day)–01:20 | 35° · E 95° | 15 min |
| NOAA-21 | 01:48 (next day)–02:04 | 74° · W 280° | 15 min |
| NOAA-20 | 02:45 (next day)–02:59 | 25° · NW 295° | 14 min |
| Meteor-M N2-4 | 02:48 (next day)–03:03 | 63° · E 111° | 15 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.