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Stargazing forecast

Stargazing forecast for Anchorage, Alaska

  • Thu 1 Oct night
  • 61.218° N, 149.900° W
  • 31 m
  • AKDT · America/Anchorage
Open the live forecast — sky score, seeing, 7 nights

Tonight at a glance

Mostly cloudy, with a brief clear hour around 9:00 PM; the Moon (63% lit) is up all night.

  • Most of the cloud is low cloud, which blocks the sky outright.
  • Dew risk: the temperature comes within 2 °C (3.6 °F) of the dew point by 9:00 PM — optics may fog without a dew heater.

· MET Norway forecast issued 2 Oct, 01:20 UTC

Cloud cover
60%Partly cloudy
Dark hours
7 h 46 min9:56 PM–5:42 AM
Moon
63%0 min moon-free
Wind
7 mphLight
Low temperature
29°FDuring the dark hours
Dew risk
HighAir 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 Anchorage
AKDTThu 1Fri 2Sat 3
Hour8p9p10p11p12a1a2a3a4a5a6a7a8a9a10a11a12p1p2p3p4p5p6p7p8p9p10p11p12a1a2a3a4a5a6a7a8a9a10a11a
Sky: Nautical twilight 8p–9p, Astronomical twilight 9p–10p, Dark 10p–6a, Astronomical twilight 6a–7a, Civil twilight 7a–8a, Daylight 8a–8p, Nautical twilight 8p–9p, Astronomical twilight 9p–10p, Dark 10p–6a, Astronomical twilight 6a–7a, Civil twilight 7a–8a, Daylight 8a–12p
Total cloud472440499073716661637368585545282315641112241358597366889598991009910010099
Low cloud161938488972716661637368585545282315641112241358597353503833252731343732
Mid cloud4163233111000000000000000001211111002070956340
High cloud000000000000000000000000000000287793989999961009898
Sun & Moon
Temperature °F37353535333332313029292929293236384040414242413937343130292828272727272728303335
Dew point °F; dew risk (within 2° of the dew point): 9p, 10p, 11p, 12a, 1a, 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a, 7a, 8a, 9a, 10a, 10p, 11p, 12a, 1a, 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a, 7a, 8a32333333323029292827272727272931313131313030292929292827272625242423242425262728
Wind mph676678878899999877766669991011121314131414151616171717
Rain (mm)0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
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.

  1. Tonight1 Oct

    60%Partly cloudy

    63% · 0 min moon-free

    9:56 PM–5:42 AM

  2. Fri2 Oct

    61%Partly cloudy

    52% · 0 min moon-free

    9:53 PM–5:45 AM

  3. Sat3 Oct

    82%Cloudy

    40% · 1 h moon-free

    9:49 PM–5:48 AM

  4. Sun4 Oct

    93%Cloudy

    30% · 3 h moon-free

    9:46 PM–5:50 AM

    6-hourly data

  5. Mon5 Oct

    92%Cloudy

    20% · 4 h 50 min moon-free

    9:42 PM–5:53 AM

    6-hourly data

  6. Tue6 Oct

    98%Cloudy

    12% · 6 h 40 min moon-free

    9:39 PM–5:56 AM

    6-hourly data

  7. Wed7 Oct

    81%Cloudy

    6% · 8 h 20 min moon-free

    9:36 PM–5:59 AM

    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
7:30 PM
Civil dusk (−6°)
8:12 PM
Nautical dusk (−12°)
9:03 PM
Astronomical dusk (−18°)
9:56 PM
Astronomical dawn (−18°)
5:42 AM
Nautical dawn (−12°)
6:35 AM
Civil dawn (−6°)
7:26 AM
Sunrise
8:09 AM

Dark window: 9:56 PM – 5:42 AM AKDT (7 h 46 min)

The Moon

Waning Gibbous

Illuminated
63%
Age
20.6 days
Moonrise
7:39 PM
Moonset
5:17 PM
Moon-free dark time
0 min

Next phases

  1. Last QuarterSat 3 Oct5:25 AM
  2. New MoonSat 10 Oct7:50 AM
  3. First QuarterSun 18 Oct8:13 AM
  4. Full MoonSun 25 Oct8:12 PM
Next lunar eclipse visible here
Partial · Tue 11 Jan 2028, 7:13 PM · Moon 19° up
Next solar eclipse visible here
Partial · Mon 11 Jun 2029, 8:59 PM · 12% 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

0°30°60°90°8:00 PM10:00 PM12:00 AM2:00 AM4:00 AM6:00 AM8:00 AMMarsJupiterSaturn
Planets tonight — Anchorage
PlanetRisesTransits (altitude)SetsBest seen tonightBrightnessIn
JupiterVisible2:38 AM10:43 AM · 44°6:52 PM4:16 AM–5:42 AM, Emag -1.9Leo
SaturnVisible7:42 PM2:01 AM · 31°8:19 AM9:56 PM–5:42 AM, Smag 0.2Cetus
MarsVisible12:35 AM9:34 AM · 49°6:35 PM2:26 AM–5:42 AM, Emag 1.1Cancer
Venus12:22 PM3:31 PM · 8°6:39 PMBelow 10°mag -4.7Virgo
Mercury10:59 AM3:13 PM · 15°7:30 PMBelow 10°mag -0.1Virgo

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.

  1. Oct4Sun

    Planet · 4:12 AM

    Saturn at opposition

    Saturn is opposite the Sun: up all night, and at its closest and brightest for the year.

  2. Oct10Sat

    Moon · 7:50 AM

    New Moon

    Darkest skies of the month for galaxies and the Milky Way.

  3. Oct12Mon

    Planet · 2:06 AM

    Mercury at greatest evening elongation

    25° from the Sun — the best evening view of Mercury, low in the west after sunset.

  4. Oct25Sun

    Moon · 8:12 PM

    Full Moon

    Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.

  5. Oct28Wed

    Moon · 10:04 AM

    Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)

    Closest to Earth this month: 364,397 km.

  6. Nov8Sun

    Moon · 10:02 PM

    New Moon

    Darkest skies of the month for galaxies and the Milky Way.

  7. Nov24Tue

    Moon · 5:54 AM

    Full Moon

    Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.

  8. Nov25Wed

    Moon · 12:02 PM

    Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)

    Closest to Earth this month: 359,335 km.

  9. Dec8Tue

    Moon · 3:52 PM

    New Moon

    Darkest skies of the month for galaxies and the Milky Way.

  10. Dec21Mon

    Season · 11:50 AM

    Winter solstice

    The longest night of the year — the most hours of darkness.

  11. Dec23Wed

    Moon · 4:28 PM

    Full Moon

    Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.

  12. Dec23Wed

    Moon · 11:32 PM

    Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)

    Closest to Earth this month: 356,641 km.

Quick answers

Will it be clear for stargazing in Anchorage tonight?
Mostly cloudy, with a brief clear hour around 9:00 PM; the Moon (63% lit) is up all night. That is the hourly total-cloud forecast for Anchorage, United States on the night of 1 October 2026, read inside the darkest hours: under 25% cloud counts as clear and 65% or more as cloudy. Most of the cloud is low cloud, which blocks the sky outright.
When does it get dark in Anchorage tonight?
In Anchorage, United States on the night of 1 October 2026, astronomical darkness begins at 9:56 PM and lasts until 5:42 AM AKDT — 7 h 46 min of fully dark sky. The Sun sets at 7:30 PM, and nautical twilight ends at 9:03 PM.
Is the Moon up tonight in Anchorage?
On the night of 1 October 2026 in Anchorage, United States, the Moon is a waning gibbous, 63% illuminated. It sets at 5:17 PM and rises at 7:39 PM, AKDT. 0 min of the dark window is moon-free.
Which planets can I see from Anchorage tonight?
From Anchorage, United States on the night of 1 October 2026: Mars (2:26 AM–5:42 AM, highest 33° in the E at 5:42 AM, magnitude 1.1); Jupiter (4:16 AM–5:42 AM, highest 20° in the E at 5:42 AM, magnitude -1.9); Saturn (9:56 PM–5:42 AM, highest 31° in the S at 1:56 AM, magnitude 0.2). Times are AKDT; all are visible to the naked eye.

Forecast details

Location
61.218° N, 149.900° W
Elevation
31 m
Time zone
America/Anchorage (AKDT)
Weather model
MET Norway Locationforecast 2.0
Forecast issued
2 Oct, 01:20 UTC
Next update expected
≈ 2 Oct, 04:43 UTC
Page generated
2 Oct, 04:13 UTC
Astronomy
Computed with astronomy-engine for these coordinates

Computed for 61.218° N, 149.900° W, elevation 31 m, time zone America/Anchorage. 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

Get tonight's score on your phone

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