Colombo, Sri Lanka
The sky above Colombo tonight
Tonight Colombo gets dark around 6:36 PM and light again by 5:11 AM. The moon is 48% lit.
What to look for
The space station
Tomorrow, 7:50 PMA bright overhead pass. It rises in the southwest and sails almost straight above you.
Space station·Peaks 63° up · 7 min·7 min
Seven astronauts, four hundred kilometres up, moving at eight kilometres a second. It looks like a bright star that refuses to twinkle, sliding silently across the sky. Start watching low in the southwest a minute early; it will climb to high in the northwest, then fade out as it enters Earth's shadow near the northeast. No telescope, no app pointed at the sky, just look up.
Saturn
Any time it's darkSaturn is out, partway up in the east. A soft gold; its rings need a small telescope.
Planet·Magnitude 0.4, sets later
Find Saturn partway up in the east. No telescope needed, just your eyes; planets don't twinkle the way stars do, they hold a steady, unwavering light. The light reaching your eye left Saturn about 71 minutes ago.
The moon
Rises tomorrow, 12:56 AMA last quarter, 42% lit.
Moon·Last quarter, 42%
It rises later tonight, so the early hours stay dark and clear. That sharp line splitting its light from its dark, the terminator, is where the sun is setting on the moon right now. You're watching a lunar sunset in slow motion.
On the horizon
The Leonids peak
In 14 nights, up to 15 meteors an hour: quick meteors capable of rare, dramatic storms.
All times are local to Colombo. Last updated at 6:48 AM.
Live countdowns, a compass showing where to point, and an alert a few minutes before the space station passes over. Free, no signup.