SkyTonight

Find a night sky
worth showing up for.

Real astronomy gatherings near you — tonight through the next three months.

ARRIVING SOON - iOS

How far ahead you're looking

Tonight. Live conditions and a straight answer on whether to go.
Next two weeks. A real forecast for the hours you'd actually be out under the sky.
Months out. Ten years of history — "8 of 10 nights clear here in September" — clearly marked as history, never dressed up as a forecast.
Any night at all. Moon phase, hours of true darkness, meteor peaks. Geometry, so it's exact ninety nights out.

What it curates

Observatories Public nights at the places with the big telescopes and someone to explain them.
Astronomy clubs Star parties in town and dark-sky outings on moonless weekends.
Dark-sky parks Ranger programs and annual star parties, in the skies actually worth driving to.
The night itself Moon, darkness, weather and what's overhead — for that place, on that date.

Astronomy is better with other people around. The hard part has never been the sky — it's finding out that something is happening, in time to be there. SkyTonight keeps one list running from tonight to three months out, and says plainly how much it can actually promise about each night on it.

Questions people actually ask

Where can I go stargazing with other people near me?

SkyTonight keeps a curated list of observatory public nights, astronomy club star parties and dark-sky park programs within whatever range you set — from tonight out to three months ahead.

Can I plan a stargazing trip months in advance?

Yes, and honestly. Moon phase and hours of darkness are pure geometry, so they're exact for any date. Weather isn't — past about sixteen days SkyTonight shows ten years of history for that week at that place, and says outright that it's history rather than a forecast.

Do I need a telescope or any experience?

No. Most listings are public events where the telescopes and the people who know how to use them are already there — which is the easiest way there is to start.

How does it know a night is worth the drive?

For each gathering it works out the moon's phase, the hours of true darkness, how dark the sky is at that specific venue, any meteor shower near its peak, and either a forecast or the historical odds of a clear night — for that place, on that date.