Stargazing tonight
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Is tonight a good night for stargazing? Get a real-time 1–10 score and the best window to see the Milky Way from your location.
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We'll email you when the score is 8.0 or higher at your location.
Stargazing tonight: how the score works
A clear, dark, dry sky away from city lights gives the highest score for stargazing tonight. We combine five public weather and astronomy signals into a single 1–10 number you can decide on in five seconds. Cloud cover and moon illumination are the two biggest factors. Bortle (light pollution) is mostly fixed where you stand, so the score tells you whether driving to a darker site tonight is worth it.
Weather forecasts come from NOAA HRRR via Open-Meteo for US locations, refreshed every 30 minutes. Moon phase and astronomical twilight are computed locally so coordinates never leave your browser.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is tonight a good night for stargazing?
StargazingTime gives you a 1–10 score based on cloud cover, moon illumination, light pollution, humidity, and visibility at your exact location. A score of 8 or higher means the sky is excellent for naked-eye and DSLR observation.
How is the stargazing score calculated?
Score starts at 10 and subtracts weighted penalties: clouds (35%), moon illumination (25%), light pollution / Bortle (25%), humidity (10%), visibility (5%). Only astronomical-dark hours are scored.
What weather data does StargazingTime use?
We use NOAA HRRR (3 km resolution, hourly) for US locations via Open-Meteo, refreshed every 30 minutes for 120 US cities. Moon and twilight times are computed locally with SunCalc.
When is the next meteor shower?
Major showers in 2026 include the Perseids (peak Aug 12), Geminids (Dec 14), Quadrantids (Jan 3), and Leonids (Nov 18). Check the score on the peak night for your location.
Where are the best dark sky spots near me?
We surface nearby IDA-certified dark sky parks and national parks within 200 km of your location, ranked by Bortle scale (lower is darker).