Stargazing in Anchorage tonight

United States · 61.22°, -149.90°

Stargazing verdict · tonight

Poor

Poor — moonlight or twilight limits stargazing tonight.

›A bright waxing gibbous (86% lit) will wash out fainter stars.

Your sky map — scrub through time

A live map of the sky above Anchorage: the Moon, planets, bright stars and constellations, exactly where they are. Drag the sliders to move through the night — or forward and back by days — and watch everything shift.

The sky over Anchorage

Mon 24 Aug, 22:00 · looking up — N at top, E to the left

Day

Time of night22:00

Drag the sliders to travel through time — watch the Moon, planets and constellations rise, set and shift. Positions are computed live for Anchorage.

Tonight's sky in Anchorage

🌔 Moon

Waxing Gibbous

86% lit

🌑 Darkness

01:42–02:22

1h of dark

🌇 Sun

sets 21:30

rises 06:34

🌙 Moon rise/set

up 21:16

down 02:42

Planets visible tonight

♂ Mars

Best early hours · toward the NE · 7° up

♄ Saturn

Best early hours · toward the SE · 26° up

Best nights to stargaze — next two weeks

Ranked by how dark the sky will be (less Moon = better). Pair with a clear-sky forecast on the night.

Tue 25 Aug

25 Aug

93% moon

Wed 26 Aug

26 Aug

97% moon

Thu 27 Aug

27 Aug

99% moon

Fri 28 Aug

28 Aug

100% moon

Sat 29 Aug

29 Aug

98% moon

Sun 30 Aug

30 Aug

95% moon

Mon 31 Aug

31 Aug

89% moon

Tue 1 Sept

1 Sept

81% moon

Wed 2 Sept

2 Sept

71% moon

Thu 3 Sept

3 Sept

60% moon

Fri 4 Sept

4 Sept

49% moon

Sat 5 Sept

5 Sept

38% moon

Sun 6 Sept

6 Sept

27% moon

Mon 7 Sept

7 Sept

17% moon

The 12 August 2026 solar eclipse from Anchorage

From Anchorage this is a partial eclipse — about 28% of the Sun is covered at maximum, around 08:21 local time. Partial phases begin ~07:36 and end ~09:09.

⚠︎ Never look at the partial phase without certified solar-eclipse glasses.

Full 2026 eclipse guide →

Upcoming sky events from Anchorage

28 August

Partial lunar eclipse

A partial lunar eclipse on 28 August, with part of the full Moon dimming and reddening as it enters Earth's shadow. Visible from the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia depending on your local moonrise/moonset.

4 October

Saturn at opposition

Saturn reaches opposition on 4 October — directly opposite the Sun, so it rises at sunset, sets at sunrise and is at its biggest and brightest of the year. The best night to catch the rings through even a small telescope.

26 September · lesser-known

Neptune at opposition

The most distant planet reaches opposition on 26 September — its brightest for the year, though still faint. A rewarding challenge target: Neptune shows as a tiny blue-grey disc through a telescope. One for the keen.

14 December

Geminid meteor shower

Widely considered the best shower of the year: slow, bright, often colourful meteors at up to ~150 per hour under dark skies. In 2026 the Moon is only a young crescent at the 13–14 December peak, so conditions are excellent.

21 October · lesser-known

Orionid meteor shower

Fast, faint meteors — debris from Halley's Comet — peaking around 21 October at ~20 per hour. A quieter, connoisseur's shower; moonlight hampers the 2026 peak, so aim for the darkest hours.

Moon phase for Anchorage →All sky events

Stargazing in Anchorage — FAQ

Is tonight good for stargazing in Anchorage?

Poor — moonlight or twilight limits stargazing tonight. A bright waxing gibbous (86% lit) will wash out fainter stars. Check the live cloud forecast above, which updates through the day.

What planets are visible from Anchorage tonight?

Tonight you can spot Mars, Saturn above the horizon from Anchorage, conditions permitting.

When is the best night to stargaze in Anchorage soon?

The darkest upcoming night is around Mon 7 Sept, when the Moon is only 17% lit.

Times are local to Anchorage (America/Anchorage). Astronomical data is computed from established models; the cloud forecast is live from Open-Meteo and refreshes through the day. Always confirm with a live forecast before travelling to a dark-sky site.