Night sky tonight in Atacama Desert
🌙 14 June 2026
🌌 Tonight in the Atacama Desert – June 14, 2026
What a night ahead! The Atacama’s pristine Bortle 2 skies are calling, but they come with a twist – and a chill 🌡️. Let’s walk through the hourly evolution so you know exactly when to bundle up and when the sky will be at its best.
⛅ Hourly Weather Breakdown
| Time (CLT) | Clouds ☁️ | Temp 🌡️ | Wind 💨 | The story |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19:00 | 52% | -8.3°C | 2.8 m/s | Early twilight still cloudy, but zero precipitation. |
| 20:00 | 61% ❌ | -10.1°C | 2.2 m/s | Worst cloud cover of the night – not ideal. |
| 21:00 | 44% | -10.5°C | 2.0 m/s | Clouds thinning, but temperature drops below -10°C. |
| 22:00 | 28% ✅ | -10.8°C | 1.7 m/s | Breakthrough! Clouds retreating rapidly, sky opening up. |
| 23:00 | 11% 🌟 | -11.2°C | 1.5 m/s | Near‑perfect transparency – just stay warm! |
| 00:00 | 14% | -11.1°C | 1.7 m/s | Still excellent, stars razor‑sharp. |
| 01:00 | 18% | -11.0°C | 2.0 m/s | Clouds start creeping back; wind steady. |
Key takeaway: The evening starts cloudy, but clears spectacularly from 22:00 to midnight – your prime window. After 01:00, a slight increase in cloud cover begins. Temperatures hover -10 to -11°C, so dress for sub‑zero vigil.
🌙 Moon & Planets
- Moon: 1.9% illuminated Waning Crescent – already set by 17:22 CLT. The sky will be completely moonless after sunset. Ideal for deep‑sky!
- Jupiter (mag -1.69) and Venus (mag -3.93) transited early afternoon, so they’ll be low in the west during early evening. Catch them right after sunset if clouds allow – Venus will be a brilliant beacon.
- No ISS passes or meteor showers tonight, but that’s fine – the deep sky is yours.
🔭 Top Recommended Targets
With a near‑moonless, crystal‑clear window from 22:00–00:00, focus on these high‑contrast gems:
| Object | Type | Mag | Why tonight? |
|---|---|---|---|
| M44 (Beehive) | Open Cluster | 3.7 | One of the brightest – visible even with a small scope or binos |
| M7 (Ptolemy Cluster) | Open Cluster | 4.1 | Rich, sprawling group in Scorpius – perfect for low power |
| M13 (Hercules Cluster) | Globular Cluster | 5.8 | The Great Hercules glob – a showpiece at high magnification |
| M5 (Serpens Cluster) | Globular Cluster | 5.6 | Dense and stunning – resolves well even at modest aperture |
| M4 (Scorpius Cluster) | Globular Cluster | 5.6 | Near Antares – a favourite for its loose, sparkly core |
Don’t miss: the Milky Way’s core will be high overhead – the Scutum Star Cloud (M24) is a naked‑eye wonder at mag 4.6.
🧥 Practical Tips
- Dress in layers – 3+ insulating layers and a windproof shell. Hand warmers are a lifesaver.
- Watch for dew – At -11°C and 16 km visibility, humidity may be low, but still bring a dew heater or lens cap.
- Let optics cool – Your telescope will take 20–30 minutes to thermally equilibrate in these sub‑zero temps.
- Best observing: 22:30 – 00:30 local time – that’s your golden window for deep‑sky under Bortle 2.
The Atacama is delivering a challenging but rewarding night – brave the cold and you’ll be treated to some of the sharpest views on Earth. Clear skies! 🔭✨
Poor conditions, better wait for another night.
Phase and apparent relative size for visible solar objects
| Name | Map | Calculator | Rising | Transit | Setting | Altitude | Magnitude | RA | Dec | Distance | Size | Elongation | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jupiter | 2026-06-14 09:29:15 | 2026-06-14 14:52:57 | 2026-06-14 20:16:39 | +45° 43' 3.2" | -1.69 | 00h 31m 36.6s | +21° 16' 46.6" | 6.09 AU | 32.28" | 32° 55' 26.0" | 99.72% | ||
| Venus | 2026-06-14 09:52:30 | 2026-06-14 15:15:06 | 2026-06-14 20:37:42 | +45° 9' 41.5" | -3.93 | 00h 33m 05.4s | +21° 50' 9.5" | 1.16 AU | 14.58" | 37° 54' 24.1" | 74.95% |
List of Messier objects by its transit time
| Messier | Map | Calculator | Type | Constellation | Transit | Altitude | Magnitude | RA | Dec | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M41 | Open Cluster | Canis Major | 2026-06-14 13:46:00 | 87° 42' 53.9" | 4.6 mag | 06h 46m 60.0s | -20° 43' 60.0" | 2.3 kly | ||
| M47 | Open Cluster | Puppis | 2026-06-14 14:35:27 | 81° 29' 0.5" | 5.2 mag | 07h 36m 36.0s | -14° 30' 0.0" | 1.6 kly | ||
| M48 | Open Cluster | Hydra | 2026-06-14 15:12:33 | 72° 47' 10.1" | 5.5 mag | 08h 13m 48.0s | -5° 47' 60.0" | 1.5 kly | ||
| M44 | Open Cluster | Cancer | 2026-06-14 15:38:47 | 47° 0' 47.3" | 3.7 mag | 08h 40m 06.0s | +19° 58' 60.0" | 577.0 ly | ||
| M5 | Globular Cluster | Serpens Caput | 2026-06-14 22:16:12 | 64° 54' 19.6" | 5.6 mag | 15h 18m 36.0s | +2° 4' 60.0" | 24.5 kly | ||
| M4 | Globular Cluster | Scorpius | 2026-06-14 23:21:01 | 86° 29' 12.0" | 5.6 mag | 16h 23m 36.0s | -26° 31' 60.0" | 7.2 kly | ||
| M13 | Globular Cluster | Hercules | 2026-06-14 23:39:04 | 30° 32' 32.6" | 5.8 mag | 16h 41m 42.0s | +36° 28' 0.0" | 22.8 kly | ||
| M6 | Open Cluster | Scorpius | 2026-06-15 00:37:18 | 80° 48' 18.0" | 5.3 mag | 17h 40m 06.0s | -32° 13' 0.0" | 2.0 kly | ||
| M7 | Open Cluster | Scorpius | 2026-06-15 00:51:04 | 78° 12' 20.8" | 4.1 mag | 17h 53m 54.0s | -34° 49' 0.0" | 800.0 ly | ||
| M24 | Star Cloud | Sagittarius | 2026-06-15 01:15:30 | 85° 23' 56.3" | 4.6 mag | 18h 18m 24.0s | -18° 25' 0.0" | 10.0 kly | ||
| M22 | Globular Cluster | Sagittarius | 2026-06-15 01:33:27 | 89° 7' 9.2" | 5.1 mag | 18h 36m 24.0s | -23° 53' 60.0" | 10.1 kly |
Waning Crescent
Illumination: 2%
No visible ISS passes tonight.