Will it be clear for stargazing in Washington, D.C. tonight?

Clear until about 2:00 AM, then cloudier; the Moon (65% lit) rises at 9:56 PM. That is the hourly total-cloud forecast for Washington, D.C., 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 high and thin, which dims faint objects rather than hiding the sky.

When does it get dark in Washington, D.C. tonight?

In Washington, D.C., United States on the night of 1 October 2026, astronomical darkness begins at 8:19 PM and lasts until 5:36 AM EDT — 9 h 17 min of fully dark sky. The Sun sets at 6:50 PM, and nautical twilight ends at 7:48 PM.

Is the Moon up tonight in Washington, D.C.?

On the night of 1 October 2026 in Washington, D.C., United States, the Moon is a waning gibbous, 65% illuminated. It sets at 12:52 PM and rises at 9:56 PM, EDT. 1 h 40 min of the dark window is moon-free.

Which planets can I see from Washington, D.C. tonight?

From Washington, D.C., United States on the night of 1 October 2026: Mars (2:29 AM–5:36 AM, highest 46° in the E at 5:36 AM, magnitude 1.1); Jupiter (3:59 AM–5:36 AM, highest 30° in the E at 5:36 AM, magnitude -1.9); Saturn (8:19 PM–5:36 AM, highest 53° in the S at 1:09 AM, magnitude 0.2). Times are EDT; all are visible to the naked eye.

Stargazing forecast

Stargazing forecast for Washington, D.C., District of Columbia

Thu 1 Oct night
38.895° N, 77.036° W
7 m
EDT · America/New_York

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

Tonight at a glance

Clear until about 2:00 AM, then cloudier; the Moon (65% lit) rises at 9:56 PM.

Most of the cloud is high and thin, which dims faint objects rather than hiding the sky.

Updated 12:13 AM EDT (2 Oct, 04:13 UTC) · MET Norway forecast issued 2 Oct, 01:20 UTC

Cloud cover: 56%Partly cloudy
Dark hours: 9 h 17 min8:19 PM–5:36 AM
Moon: 65%1 h 40 min moon-free
Wind: 8 mphLight
Low temperature: 66°FDuring the dark hours
Dew risk: ModerateAir comes within 6° 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 Washington, D.C.
EDT	Fri 2																								Sat 3
Hour	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	9a	10a	11a	12p	1p	2p	3p
Sky: Dark 12a–6a, Nautical twilight 6a–7a, Daylight 7a–7p, Nautical twilight 7p–8p, Dark 8p–6a, Nautical twilight 6a–7a, Daylight 7a–4p
Total cloud	16	12	58	89	80	81	58	55	98	53	83	55	80	95	93	96	91	95	94	97	91	90	81	100	81	96	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100
Low cloud	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	13	17	9	24	16	16	6	12	59	85	41	22	39	1	1	0	7	0	13	14	22
Mid cloud	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	11	11	42	34	59	53	45	51	100	61	95	98	98	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	98	95	81
High cloud	16	12	58	89	80	81	58	55	98	53	83	55	80	95	92	95	91	90	90	92	77	81	58	85	45	21	87	59	88	95	83	73	79	100	100	100	100	100	100	100
Sun & Moon
Temperature °F	70	69	68	67	67	66	65	64	65	68	72	76	80	83	85	86	86	85	82	78	76	74	73	72	71	67	66	64	63	62	62	62	62	61	61	62	60	60	62	64
Dew point °F	61	60	60	60	59	59	59	59	60	61	63	65	66	66	65	65	66	66	68	69	68	68	68	68	67	61	57	54	53	52	51	51	50	50	50	50	52	54	54	53
Wind mph	8	8	8	9	8	8	8	8	7	6	6	6	5	6	6	7	7	6	6	7	6	7	7	8	11	12	11	11	9	8	7	8	7	7	7	6	6	6	4	5
Rain (mm)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.2	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.5	1.0	0.2	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
56%Partly cloudy
65% · 1 h 40 min moon-free
8:19 PM–5:36 AM
Fri2 Oct
94%Cloudy
54% · 2 h 50 min moon-free
8:17 PM–5:37 AM
Sat3 Oct
99%Cloudy
43% · 4 h moon-free
8:15 PM–5:38 AM
Sun4 Oct
98%Cloudy
32% · 5 h 10 min moon-free
8:14 PM–5:39 AM
6-hourly data
Mon5 Oct
0%Clear
22% · 6 h 30 min moon-free
8:12 PM–5:40 AM
6-hourly data
Tue6 Oct
0%Clear
13% · 7 h 40 min moon-free
8:11 PM–5:41 AM
6-hourly data
Wed7 Oct
0%Clear
7% · 8 h 50 min moon-free
8:09 PM–5:42 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: 6:50 PM
Civil dusk (−6°): 7:17 PM
Nautical dusk (−12°): 7:48 PM
Astronomical dusk (−18°): 8:19 PM
Astronomical dawn (−18°): 5:36 AM
Nautical dawn (−12°): 6:07 AM
Civil dawn (−6°): 6:38 AM
Sunrise: 7:05 AM

Dark window: 8:19 PM – 5:36 AM EDT (9 h 17 min)

The Moon

Waning Gibbous

Illuminated: 65%
Age: 20.6 days
Moonrise: 9:56 PM
Moonset: 12:52 PM
Moon-free dark time: 1 h 40 min

Next phases

Last QuarterSat 3 Oct9:25 AM
New MoonSat 10 Oct11:50 AM
First QuarterSun 18 Oct12:13 PM
Full MoonMon 26 Oct12:12 AM

Next lunar eclipse visible here: Partial · Tue 11 Jan 2028, 11:13 PM · Moon 68° up
Next solar eclipse visible here: Partial · Sun 14 Jan 2029, 12:43 PM · 42% 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 — Washington, D.C.
Planet	Rises	Transits (altitude)	Sets	Best seen tonight	Brightness	In
JupiterVisible	2:59 AM	9:52 AM · 67°	4:49 PM	3:59 AM–5:36 AM, E	mag -1.9	Leo
SaturnVisible	7:02 PM	1:10 AM · 53°	7:19 AM	8:19 PM–5:36 AM, S	mag 0.2	Cetus
MarsVisible	1:30 AM	8:43 AM · 72°	3:58 PM	2:29 AM–5:36 AM, E	mag 1.1	Cancer
Venus	9:46 AM	2:40 PM · 30°	7:30 PM	Below 10°	mag -4.7	Virgo
Mercury	9:06 AM	2:21 PM · 37°	7:38 PM	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 · 8:12 AM
Saturn at opposition
Saturn is opposite the Sun: up all night, and at its closest and brightest for the year.
Oct10Sat
Moon · 11:50 AM
New Moon
Darkest skies of the month for galaxies and the Milky Way.
Oct12Mon
Planet · 6:06 AM
Mercury at greatest evening elongation
25° from the Sun — the best evening view of Mercury, low in the west after sunset.
Oct26Mon
Moon · 12:12 AM
Full Moon
Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.
Oct28Wed
Moon · 2:04 PM
Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)
Closest to Earth this month: 364,397 km.
Nov9Mon
Moon · 2:02 AM
New Moon
Darkest skies of the month for galaxies and the Milky Way.
Nov24Tue
Moon · 9:54 AM
Full Moon
Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.
Nov25Wed
Moon · 4:02 PM
Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)
Closest to Earth this month: 359,335 km.
Dec8Tue
Moon · 7:52 PM
New Moon
Darkest skies of the month for galaxies and the Milky Way.
Dec21Mon
Season · 3:50 PM
Winter solstice
The longest night of the year — the most hours of darkness.
Dec23Wed
Moon · 8:28 PM
Full Moon
Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.
Dec24Thu
Moon · 3:32 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 Washington, D.C. tonight?: Clear until about 2:00 AM, then cloudier; the Moon (65% lit) rises at 9:56 PM. That is the hourly total-cloud forecast for Washington, D.C., 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 high and thin, which dims faint objects rather than hiding the sky.
When does it get dark in Washington, D.C. tonight?: In Washington, D.C., United States on the night of 1 October 2026, astronomical darkness begins at 8:19 PM and lasts until 5:36 AM EDT — 9 h 17 min of fully dark sky. The Sun sets at 6:50 PM, and nautical twilight ends at 7:48 PM.
Is the Moon up tonight in Washington, D.C.?: On the night of 1 October 2026 in Washington, D.C., United States, the Moon is a waning gibbous, 65% illuminated. It sets at 12:52 PM and rises at 9:56 PM, EDT. 1 h 40 min of the dark window is moon-free.
Which planets can I see from Washington, D.C. tonight?: From Washington, D.C., United States on the night of 1 October 2026: Mars (2:29 AM–5:36 AM, highest 46° in the E at 5:36 AM, magnitude 1.1); Jupiter (3:59 AM–5:36 AM, highest 30° in the E at 5:36 AM, magnitude -1.9); Saturn (8:19 PM–5:36 AM, highest 53° in the S at 1:09 AM, magnitude 0.2). Times are EDT; all are visible to the naked eye.

Forecast details

Location: 38.895° N, 77.036° W
Elevation: 7 m
Time zone: America/New_York (EDT)
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 38.895° N, 77.036° W, elevation 7 m, time zone America/New_York. 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 States 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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