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Stargazing forecast

Stargazing forecast for Austin, Texas

  • Thu 1 Oct night
  • 30.267° N, 97.743° W
  • 149 m
  • CDT · America/Chicago
Open the live forecast — sky score, seeing, 7 nights

Tonight at a glance

Overcast for the rest of the night; the Moon (65% lit) rises at 10:53 PM.

  • Rain or showers possible from about 12:00 AM.
  • Most of the cloud is high and thin, which dims faint objects rather than hiding the sky.
  • Dew risk: the temperature comes within 2 °C (3.6 °F) of the dew point by 11:00 PM — optics may fog without a dew heater.

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

Cloud cover
100%Cloudy
Dark hours
9 h 30 min8:35 PM–6:05 AM
Moon
65%2 h 20 min moon-free
Wind
3 mphCalm
Low temperature
73°FDuring the dark hours
Dew risk
HighAir comes within 0° 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 Austin
CDTFri 2Sat 3
Hour11p12a1a2a3a4a5a6a7a8a9a10a11a12p1p2p3p4p5p6p7p8p9p10p11p12a1a2a3a4a5a6a7a8a9a10a11a12p1p2p
Sky: Dark 11p–6a, Astronomical twilight 6a–7a, Daylight 7a–7p, Civil twilight 7p–8p, Astronomical twilight 8p–9p, Dark 9p–6a, Astronomical twilight 6a–7a, Daylight 7a–3p
Total cloud99100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100999910010010010098100100100100100100100
Low cloud65100100100100100948949910099100100100983220332010095857298724110010010010063100100100100100100100
Mid cloud296560466363915971100100100100100100100100999991100695218243112414782749314758387433115
High cloud9681100100100100991001009999100100100100100100991001001001001001009899979898989579928891251291
Sun & Moon
Temperature °F73747373737373737373737474747474747474747373737373727272727171717070717274757778
Dew point °F; dew risk (within 2° of the dew point): 11p, 12a, 1a, 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a, 7a, 8a, 9a, 10a, 11a, 12p, 1p, 2p, 3p, 4p, 5p, 6p, 7p, 8p, 9p, 10p, 11p, 12a, 1a, 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a, 7a, 8a, 9a73737373737373727373737373737373737373737373737272717171717170706968686869696970
Wind mph22333444455567876787889888998911101111121311111111
Rain (mm)01.33.42.63.73.65.12.53.73.02.31.81.21.61.41.80.90.90.60.81.20.90.30.10.51.00.60.30.20.20.1000000000
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

    100%Cloudy

    65% · 2 h 20 min moon-free

    8:35 PM–6:05 AM

  2. Fri2 Oct

    100%Cloudy

    54% · 3 h 20 min moon-free

    8:34 PM–6:06 AM

  3. Sat3 Oct

    99%Cloudy

    42% · 4 h 30 min moon-free

    8:33 PM–6:06 AM

  4. Sun4 Oct

    9%Clear

    31% · 5 h 40 min moon-free

    8:32 PM–6:07 AM

    6-hourly data

  5. Mon5 Oct

    0%Clear

    21% · 6 h 50 min moon-free

    8:30 PM–6:07 AM

    6-hourly data

  6. Tue6 Oct

    0%Clear

    13% · 8 h moon-free

    8:29 PM–6:08 AM

    6-hourly data

  7. Wed7 Oct

    0%Clear

    7% · 9 h moon-free

    8:28 PM–6:09 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
7:16 PM
Civil dusk (−6°)
7:40 PM
Nautical dusk (−12°)
8:07 PM
Astronomical dusk (−18°)
8:35 PM
Astronomical dawn (−18°)
6:05 AM
Nautical dawn (−12°)
6:33 AM
Civil dawn (−6°)
7:01 AM
Sunrise
7:25 AM

Dark window: 8:35 PM – 6:05 AM CDT (9 h 30 min)

The Moon

Waning Gibbous

Illuminated
65%
Age
20.6 days
Moonrise
10:53 PM
Moonset
12:49 PM (Thu 1 Oct)
Moon-free dark time
2 h 20 min

Next phases

  1. Last QuarterSat 3 Oct8:25 AM
  2. New MoonSat 10 Oct10:50 AM
  3. First QuarterSun 18 Oct11:13 AM
  4. Full MoonSun 25 Oct11:12 PM
Next lunar eclipse visible here
Partial · Tue 11 Jan 2028, 10:13 PM · Moon 56° up
Next solar eclipse visible here
Partial · Wed 26 Jan 2028, 7:53 AM · 15% 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°7:00 PM9:00 PM11:00 PM1:00 AM3:00 AM5:00 AM7:00 AMMarsJupiterSaturn
Planets tonight — Austin
PlanetRisesTransits (altitude)SetsBest seen tonightBrightnessIn
JupiterVisible3:36 AM10:15 AM · 75°4:57 PM4:35 AM–6:05 AM, Emag -1.9Leo
SaturnVisible7:27 PM1:33 AM · 62°7:39 AM8:35 PM–6:05 AM, Smag 0.2Cetus
MarsVisible2:13 AM9:06 AM · 80°4:01 PM3:05 AM–6:05 AM, Emag 1.1Cancer
Venus9:49 AM3:03 PM · 39°8:13 PMBelow 10°mag -4.7Virgo
Mercury9:16 AM2:44 PM · 46°8:14 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 · 7:12 AM

    Saturn at opposition

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

  2. Oct10Sat

    Moon · 10:50 AM

    New Moon

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

  3. Oct12Mon

    Planet · 5:06 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 · 11:12 PM

    Full Moon

    Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.

  5. Oct28Wed

    Moon · 1:04 PM

    Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)

    Closest to Earth this month: 364,397 km.

  6. Nov9Mon

    Moon · 1:02 AM

    New Moon

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

  7. Nov24Tue

    Moon · 8:54 AM

    Full Moon

    Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.

  8. Nov25Wed

    Moon · 3:02 PM

    Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)

    Closest to Earth this month: 359,335 km.

  9. Dec8Tue

    Moon · 6:52 PM

    New Moon

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

  10. Dec21Mon

    Season · 2:50 PM

    Winter solstice

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

  11. Dec23Wed

    Moon · 7:28 PM

    Full Moon

    Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.

  12. Dec24Thu

    Moon · 2:32 AM

    Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)

    Closest to Earth this month: 356,641 km.

Quick answers

Will it be clear for stargazing in Austin tonight?
Overcast for the rest of the night; the Moon (65% lit) rises at 10:53 PM. That is the hourly total-cloud forecast for Austin, 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. Rain or showers possible from about 12:00 AM. Most of the cloud is high and thin, which dims faint objects rather than hiding the sky.
When does it get dark in Austin tonight?
In Austin, United States on the night of 1 October 2026, astronomical darkness begins at 8:35 PM and lasts until 6:05 AM CDT — 9 h 30 min of fully dark sky. The Sun sets at 7:16 PM, and nautical twilight ends at 8:07 PM.
Is the Moon up tonight in Austin?
On the night of 1 October 2026 in Austin, United States, the Moon is a waning gibbous, 65% illuminated. It sets at 12:49 PM (Thu 1 Oct) and rises at 10:53 PM, CDT. 2 h 20 min of the dark window is moon-free.
Which planets can I see from Austin tonight?
From Austin, United States on the night of 1 October 2026: Mars (3:05 AM–6:05 AM, highest 48° in the E at 6:05 AM, magnitude 1.1); Jupiter (4:35 AM–6:05 AM, highest 31° in the E at 6:05 AM, magnitude -1.9); Saturn (8:35 PM–6:05 AM, highest 62° in the S at 1:35 AM, magnitude 0.2). Times are CDT; all are visible to the naked eye.

Forecast details

Location
30.267° N, 97.743° W
Elevation
149 m
Time zone
America/Chicago (CDT)
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 30.267° N, 97.743° W, elevation 149 m, time zone America/Chicago. 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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