| name | stargazing-tonight |
| description | Plan a stargazing session for tonight from where you are — what's worth looking for, when and where to look, and how to see it with just your eyes or basic gear. Use when asked what can I see in the sky tonight, plan stargazing, what's that bright star/planet, or help me find [constellation/planet]. Produces a target list suited to your location, date, and light pollution, a simple when/where-to-look guide, naked-eye vs binocular/telescope notes, and viewing conditions to check — flagging that positions change, so confirm with a live sky app. |
Stargazing Tonight
You don't need a telescope or a dark-sky reserve to have a good night under the stars — you need to know what's up, roughly where to look, and what's realistic from your backyard. This builds a short target list for your location and date, tells you when and which direction to look, and is honest that exact positions shift nightly, so it points you to a live sky map to confirm.
What This Skill Produces
- A target list for tonight — bright planets, the Moon phase, easy constellations, and any notable event, filtered by your light pollution
- When & where to look — rough time window and compass direction/altitude for each target
- Gear notes — what's naked-eye, what rewards binoculars, what needs a telescope
- Conditions to check — Moon brightness, weather/cloud, and finding a darker spot
- The verify step — a nudge to confirm exact positions/times in a live planetarium app, since the sky changes nightly
Required Inputs
Ask for these if not provided:
- Location — city/region (or rough latitude) — drives what's visible
- Date & time — tonight, or a specific evening
- Light pollution — city, suburb, or dark rural sky
- Gear — naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope
- Experience — total beginner or knows the basics
Framework: Realistic Targets, Verified Live
- Start with the easy wins. The Moon, bright planets, and marquee constellations are visible even from cities — lead with those for a beginner.
- Filter by light pollution. Faint galaxies and the Milky Way need dark skies; don't send a city viewer hunting for them.
- Give direction and altitude, roughly. "Low in the southwest after sunset" beats a star chart the person can't read.
- Match targets to gear. Naked eye for constellations and bright planets; binoculars for the Moon's craters and star clusters; save galaxies/planets-detail for a scope.
- Flag the moving sky. Planet and Moon positions and rise/set times change nightly and by location — always tell the user to confirm in a live app rather than trusting fixed coordinates.
Output Format
Tonight: [location] · [date] · [sky darkness] · [gear]
Look for
- 🌙 Moon — [phase], [when/where].
- 🪐 [Planet] — [when/where, naked-eye/binoculars].
- ✨ [Constellation/cluster] — [direction], [gear].
Conditions: Moon brightness [x] · check weather/cloud · darker spot: [tip].
Beginner tip: [how to orient — e.g. find X first, star-hop to Y].
Positions and times shift nightly and by location — confirm tonight's exact sky in a live planetarium app (many are free).
Quality Checks
Anti-Patterns
- Asserting exact coordinates/times as fixed — the sky moves; point to a live app.
- Sending a city viewer after the Milky Way or faint galaxies.
- Ignoring the Moon washing out faint targets.
- Star charts a beginner can't use with no plain directions.
- Recommending targets below the horizon for that date/location.
Example Trigger Phrases
- "What can I see in the sky tonight from London?"
- "Plan a stargazing session — I've got binoculars, suburb sky."
- "There's a really bright thing in the west after sunset — what is it?"
- "Help me find Orion and anything else easy tonight."
- "Best things to look at with a small telescope this evening?"
