Tonight's sky: Thursday, October 29

Here's what's up tonight, worked out for Central Florida, where we're based. The Moon, planets, launches and space weather are much the same across the US. Darkness times and satellite passes are local, so check your own city at https://wthwasthat.com/tonight

Darkness: Sunset is at 6:42 PM. It's dark enough to spot satellites by 7:06 PM and fully dark by 8:02 PM.

Moon: Waning gibbous, 81% lit, rising in the east at 9:45 PM. A big Moon rising orange through haze gets reported more often than you would think.

Planets after dark: Saturn in the east (steady and slightly golden).

Satellite passes over Orlando: No space station passes in view tonight. Fainter ones you can catch from a dark spot: a satellite (ERS-1) at 8:12 PM, up to 81°, south to north. A satellite (INTERCOSMOS 25) at 9:46 PM, up to 82°, north to south. A satellite (AJISAI) at 6:33 AM before dawn, up to 87°, southwest to northeast.

Launches: Nothing scheduled in the next 24 hours.

Aurora: Quiet (Kp 0.3), so only the far north has a chance.

Meteor showers: Orionids and Taurids. Best after midnight, away from city lights.

Saw something you can't explain? Report it at https://wthwasthat.com/report and we'll check the sky for that exact minute.