Will it be clear for stargazing in Manchester tonight?

Cloudy for the rest of the night; the Moon (68% lit) is up all night. That is the hourly total-cloud forecast for Manchester, United Kingdom on the night of 1 October 2026, read inside the darkest hours: under 25% cloud counts as clear and 65% or more as cloudy. Rain or showers possible around 05:00.

When does it get dark in Manchester tonight?

In Manchester, United Kingdom on the night of 1 October 2026, astronomical darkness begins at 20:42 and lasts until 05:14 GMT+1 — 8 h 32 min of fully dark sky. The Sun sets at 18:45, and nautical twilight ends at 20:01.

Is the Moon up tonight in Manchester?

On the night of 1 October 2026 in Manchester, United Kingdom, the Moon is a waning gibbous, 68% illuminated. It sets at 13:59 and rises at 20:23, GMT+1. 0 min of the dark window is moon-free.

Which planets can I see from Manchester tonight?

From Manchester, United Kingdom on the night of 1 October 2026: Mars (02:02–05:14, highest 39° in the E at 05:14, magnitude 1.1); Jupiter (03:42–05:14, highest 24° in the E at 05:14, magnitude -1.9); Saturn (20:42–05:14, highest 39° in the S at 01:12, magnitude 0.2). Times are GMT+1; all are visible to the naked eye.

Stargazing forecast

Stargazing forecast for Manchester, United Kingdom

Thu 1 Oct night
53.481° N, 2.237° W
51 m
GMT+1 · Europe/London

Open the live forecast — sky score, seeing, 7 nights

Tonight at a glance

Cloudy for the rest of the night; the Moon (68% lit) is up all night.

Rain or showers possible around 05:00.

Updated 05:13 GMT+1 (2 Oct, 04:13 UTC) · MET Norway forecast issued 2 Oct, 01:20 UTC

Cloud cover: 81%Cloudy
Dark hours: 8 h 32 min20:42–05:14
Moon: 68%0 min moon-free
Wind: 16 km/hLight
Low temperature: 12°CDuring the dark hours
Dew risk: ModerateAir comes within 2° of the dew point

Photo: Milky Way over Paranal — ESO/A. Ghizzi Panizza (www.albertoghizzipanizza.com), CC BY 4.0

Hourly forecast

Cloud by layer, hour by hour. Darker blue means clearer sky; each cell shows its percentage. Low cloud blocks the sky outright; thin high cloud only dims it.

Hourly cloud cover (%) and conditions tonight in Manchester
GMT+1	Fri 2																			Sat 3
Hour	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
Sky: Astronomical twilight 05–06, Nautical twilight 06–07, Daylight 07–19, Nautical twilight 19–20, Astronomical twilight 20–21, Dark 21–05, Astronomical twilight 05–06, Nautical twilight 06–07, Daylight 07–19, Nautical twilight 19–20, Astronomical twilight 20–21
Total cloud	81	85	84	93	79	95	89	82	79	95	99	86	68	71	51	69	88	100	98	69	100	99	32	45	58	53	52	30	21	9	48	88	99	38	39	20	15	39	32	0
Low cloud	23	28	24	30	30	77	81	68	45	48	77	20	29	44	27	37	45	34	16	33	100	99	28	41	56	48	42	27	21	8	33	41	31	37	39	20	13	4	0	0
Mid cloud	67	80	79	91	60	84	51	37	50	82	98	53	56	65	44	63	83	100	96	57	100	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	23	70	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
High cloud	34	23	13	2	16	9	9	21	48	66	58	70	16	2	1	3	7	39	10	0	0	0	5	7	3	8	16	4	0	0	0	70	98	1	0	0	2	37	32	0
Sun & Moon
Temperature °C	12	12	12	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	17	18	16	16	16	16	16	15	15	14	14	14	13	12	11	11	11	10	11	12	13	14	14	14	15	15	14	13	11	11
Dew point °C; dew risk (within 2° of the dew point): 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09	10	11	11	11	12	12	13	13	13	13	14	13	13	13	12	12	12	12	12	13	13	13	12	11	11	10	10	10	10	10	8	7	7	6	6	6	6	7	7	7
Wind km/h	16	18	19	19	18	22	21	22	24	24	22	21	21	23	23	22	21	22	22	22	23	18	15	13	10	10	9	8	12	12	13	14	14	13	12	11	10	7	4	3
Rain (mm)	0.6	0.4	0.3	0.1	0.5	0	0	0	0	0.7	0.3	0.9	0.2	0	0	0	0.1	0.7	0.3	1.2	1.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Cloud cover0–9%10–24%25–44%45–64%65–84%85–100%

SkyDaylightCivil twilightNautical twilightAstronomical twilightDark

Sun altitudeMoon altitude12dew risk (within 2° of the dew point)Scroll sideways for the next 40 hours →

Weather data: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0)

Next 7 nights

Average cloud during each night's dark hours, with the Moon. The first two to three nights use hourly data; later nights use MET Norway's 6-hourly steps and are less certain.

Tonight1 Oct
81%Cloudy
68% · 0 min moon-free
20:42–05:14
Fri2 Oct
76%Cloudy
57% · 50 min moon-free
20:40–05:16
Sat3 Oct
71%Cloudy
45% · 2 h 10 min moon-free
20:37–05:18
Sun4 Oct
94%Cloudy
34% · 3 h 40 min moon-free
20:35–05:20
6-hourly data
Mon5 Oct
74%Cloudy
24% · 5 h 10 min moon-free
20:32–05:22
6-hourly data
Tue6 Oct
100%Cloudy
15% · 6 h 40 min moon-free
20:30–05:24
6-hourly data
Wed7 Oct
14%Clear
8% · 8 h 10 min moon-free
20:27–05:26
6-hourly data

Sun & twilight

Twilight ends in three steps. Faint galaxies and the Milky Way need astronomical darkness, when the Sun is more than 18° below the horizon.

Sunset: 18:45
Civil dusk (−6°): 19:20
Nautical dusk (−12°): 20:01
Astronomical dusk (−18°): 20:42
Astronomical dawn (−18°): 05:14
Nautical dawn (−12°): 05:56
Civil dawn (−6°): 06:37
Sunrise: 07:12

Dark window: 20:42 – 05:14 GMT+1 (8 h 32 min)

The Moon

Waning Gibbous

Illuminated: 68%
Age: 20.6 days
Moonrise: 20:23
Moonset: 13:59
Moon-free dark time: 0 min

Next phases

Last QuarterSat 3 Oct14:25
New MoonSat 10 Oct16:50
First QuarterSun 18 Oct17:13
Full MoonMon 26 Oct04:12

Next lunar eclipse visible here: Partial · Wed 12 Jan 2028, 04:13 · Moon 36° up
Next solar eclipse visible here: Partial · Mon 2 Aug 2027, 09:59 · 35% of the Sun covered

Planets tonight

Naked-eye planets that climb more than 10° above the horizon during the astronomically dark hours.

Altitude through the night

Planets tonight — Manchester
Planet	Rises	Transits (altitude)	Sets	Best seen tonight	Brightness	In
JupiterVisible	02:23	09:54 · 52°	17:28	03:42–05:14, E	mag -1.9	Leo
SaturnVisible	18:58	01:12 · 39°	07:26	20:42–05:14, S	mag 0.2	Cetus
MarsVisible	00:38	08:44 · 57°	16:53	02:02–05:14, E	mag 1.1	Cancer
Venus	10:39	14:42 · 16°	18:40	Below 10°	mag -4.7	Virgo
Mercury	09:38	14:22 · 23°	19:09	Below 10°	mag -0.1	Virgo

Lower magnitude = brighter. Venus and Jupiter outshine every star.

Sky events — next 90 days

Moon phases, seasons, planet highlights and eclipses, with times for this city.

Oct4Sun
Planet · 13:12
Saturn at opposition
Saturn is opposite the Sun: up all night, and at its closest and brightest for the year.
Oct10Sat
Moon · 16:50
New Moon
Darkest skies of the month for galaxies and the Milky Way.
Oct12Mon
Planet · 11:06
Mercury at greatest evening elongation
25° from the Sun — the best evening view of Mercury, low in the west after sunset.
Oct26Mon
Moon · 04:12
Full Moon
Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.
Oct28Wed
Moon · 18:04
Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)
Closest to Earth this month: 364,397 km.
Nov9Mon
Moon · 07:02
New Moon
Darkest skies of the month for galaxies and the Milky Way.
Nov24Tue
Moon · 14:54
Full Moon
Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.
Nov25Wed
Moon · 21:02
Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)
Closest to Earth this month: 359,335 km.
Dec9Wed
Moon · 00:52
New Moon
Darkest skies of the month for galaxies and the Milky Way.
Dec21Mon
Season · 20:50
Winter solstice
The longest night of the year — the most hours of darkness.
Dec24Thu
Moon · 01:28
Full Moon
Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.
Dec24Thu
Moon · 08:32
Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)
Closest to Earth this month: 356,641 km.

Quick answers

Will it be clear for stargazing in Manchester tonight?: Cloudy for the rest of the night; the Moon (68% lit) is up all night. That is the hourly total-cloud forecast for Manchester, United Kingdom on the night of 1 October 2026, read inside the darkest hours: under 25% cloud counts as clear and 65% or more as cloudy. Rain or showers possible around 05:00.
When does it get dark in Manchester tonight?: In Manchester, United Kingdom on the night of 1 October 2026, astronomical darkness begins at 20:42 and lasts until 05:14 GMT+1 — 8 h 32 min of fully dark sky. The Sun sets at 18:45, and nautical twilight ends at 20:01.
Is the Moon up tonight in Manchester?: On the night of 1 October 2026 in Manchester, United Kingdom, the Moon is a waning gibbous, 68% illuminated. It sets at 13:59 and rises at 20:23, GMT+1. 0 min of the dark window is moon-free.
Which planets can I see from Manchester tonight?: From Manchester, United Kingdom on the night of 1 October 2026: Mars (02:02–05:14, highest 39° in the E at 05:14, magnitude 1.1); Jupiter (03:42–05:14, highest 24° in the E at 05:14, magnitude -1.9); Saturn (20:42–05:14, highest 39° in the S at 01:12, magnitude 0.2). Times are GMT+1; all are visible to the naked eye.

Forecast details

Location: 53.481° N, 2.237° W
Elevation: 51 m
Time zone: Europe/London (GMT+1)
Weather model: MET Norway Locationforecast 2.0
Forecast issued: 2 Oct, 01:20 UTC
Next update expected: ≈ 2 Oct, 04:44 UTC
Page generated: 2 Oct, 04:13 UTC
Astronomy: Computed with astronomy-engine for these coordinates

Computed for 53.481° N, 2.237° W, elevation 51 m, time zone Europe/London. City centres are light-polluted; the times here apply anywhere within about 50 km, so drive out to darker skies.

Sun, Moon and planet positions are calculated with astronomy-engine. Twilight uses the Sun's geometric centre; sunrise and sunset use the upper limb with standard refraction.

The summary line restates the hourly total-cloud forecast inside the dark window (clear under 25%, cloudy from 65%) and the Moon's times. It is not a score — the Tonight score lives in the app.

Seeing and transparency forecasts are coming to the app first (North America via Environment Canada's model, a worldwide beta elsewhere).

Nearby city forecasts

All forecasts in United Kingdom Moon phase calendar Telescope FOV calculator

Get tonight's score on your phone

The Astronight app adds an hourly sky score, the best window, seeing and transparency, and alerts for clear nights.

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