Stargazing in Randfontein tonight

South Africa · -26.18°, 27.70°

Stargazing verdict · tonight

Fair

Fair — stars visible, but not the best conditions.

›A bright full moon (97% lit) will wash out fainter stars.
›About 9 hours of true darkness to work with.

Your sky map — scrub through time

A live map of the sky above Randfontein: the Moon, planets, bright stars and constellations, exactly where they are. Drag the sliders to move through the night — or forward and back by days — and watch everything shift.

The sky over Randfontein

Mon 28 Sept, 22:00 · looking up — N at top, E to the left

Day

Time of night22:00

Drag the sliders to travel through time — watch the Moon, planets and constellations rise, set and shift. Positions are computed live for Randfontein.

Tonight's sky in Randfontein

🌕 Moon

Full Moon

97% lit

🌑 Darkness

19:25–04:34

9h of dark

🌇 Sun

sets 18:07

rises 05:51

🌙 Moon rise/set

up 20:05

down 07:15

Planets visible tonight

♀ Venus

Best evening · toward the W · 15° up

♂ Mars

Best early hours · toward the NE · 23° up

♃ Jupiter

Best early hours · toward the NE · 12° up

♄ Saturn

Best most of the night · toward the N · 61° up

Best nights to stargaze — next two weeks

Ranked by how dark the sky will be (less Moon = better). Pair with a clear-sky forecast on the night.

Mon 28 Sept

28 Sept

94% moon

Tue 29 Sept

29 Sept

87% moon

Wed 30 Sept

30 Sept

79% moon

Thu 1 Oct

1 Oct

68% moon

Fri 2 Oct

2 Oct

57% moon

Sat 3 Oct

3 Oct

46% moon

Sun 4 Oct

4 Oct

35% moon

Mon 5 Oct

5 Oct

24% moon

Tue 6 Oct

6 Oct

16% moon

Wed 7 Oct

7 Oct

8% moon

Thu 8 Oct

8 Oct

3% moon

Fri 9 Oct

9 Oct

1% moon

Sat 10 Oct

10 Oct

0% moon

Sun 11 Oct

11 Oct

2% moon

Upcoming sky events from Randfontein

4 October

Saturn at opposition

Saturn reaches opposition on 4 October — directly opposite the Sun, so it rises at sunset, sets at sunrise and is at its biggest and brightest of the year. The best night to catch the rings through even a small telescope.

14 December

Geminid meteor shower

Widely considered the best shower of the year: slow, bright, often colourful meteors at up to ~150 per hour under dark skies. In 2026 the Moon is only a young crescent at the 13–14 December peak, so conditions are excellent.

21 October · lesser-known

Orionid meteor shower

Fast, faint meteors — debris from Halley's Comet — peaking around 21 October at ~20 per hour. A quieter, connoisseur's shower; moonlight hampers the 2026 peak, so aim for the darkest hours.

17 November · lesser-known

Leonid meteor shower

The Leonids peak around 17 November at ~15 fast meteors an hour. Famous for rare, spectacular storms every ~33 years; 2026 is a normal year, but still a pleasant pre-dawn watch.

23 December

December supermoon

The final and closest supermoon of 2026 on 23 December — a full Moon near its closest approach to Earth, appearing slightly larger and noticeably brighter. Lovely to the eye, especially rising near the horizon.

Moon phase for Randfontein →All sky events

Stargazing in Randfontein — FAQ

Is tonight good for stargazing in Randfontein?

Fair — stars visible, but not the best conditions. A bright full moon (97% lit) will wash out fainter stars. Check the live cloud forecast above, which updates through the day.

What planets are visible from Randfontein tonight?

Tonight you can spot Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn above the horizon from Randfontein, conditions permitting.

When is the best night to stargaze in Randfontein soon?

The darkest upcoming night is around Sat 10 Oct, when the Moon is only 0% lit.

Times are local to Randfontein (Africa/Johannesburg). Astronomical data is computed from established models; the cloud forecast is live from Open-Meteo and refreshes through the day. Always confirm with a live forecast before travelling to a dark-sky site.