WhenToStargaze

Stargazing in Brisbane tonight

Australia · -27.47°, 153.03°

Stargazing verdict · tonight

Good

Good — worth heading out if skies are clear.

  • ›A waxing crescent (24% lit) only mildly brightens the sky.
  • ›About 10 hours of true darkness to work with.

Your sky map — scrub through time

A live map of the sky above Brisbane: 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 Brisbane
Mon 17 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 Brisbane.

Tonight's sky in Brisbane

🌒 Moon
Waxing Crescent
24% lit
🌑 Darkness
18:46–04:57
10h of dark
🌇 Sun
sets 17:27
rises 06:16
🌙 Moon rise/set
up 09:16
down 21:58

Planets visible tonight

♀ Venus
Best evening · toward the W · 28° up
♂ Mars
Best early hours · toward the NE · 19° up
♄ Saturn
Best early hours · toward the NW · 48° 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.

Mon 17 Aug
17 Aug
26% moon
Tue 18 Aug
18 Aug
35% moon
Wed 19 Aug
19 Aug
45% moon
Thu 20 Aug
20 Aug
55% moon
Fri 21 Aug
21 Aug
64% moon
Sat 22 Aug
22 Aug
73% moon
Sun 23 Aug
23 Aug
81% moon
Mon 24 Aug
24 Aug
88% moon
Tue 25 Aug
25 Aug
93% moon
Wed 26 Aug
26 Aug
97% moon
Thu 27 Aug
27 Aug
100% moon
Fri 28 Aug
28 Aug
100% moon
Sat 29 Aug
29 Aug
98% moon
Sun 30 Aug
30 Aug
94% moon

Upcoming sky events from Brisbane

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 Brisbane →All sky events

Stargazing in Brisbane — FAQ

Is tonight good for stargazing in Brisbane?

Good — worth heading out if skies are clear. A waxing crescent (24% lit) only mildly brightens the sky. Check the live cloud forecast above, which updates through the day.

What planets are visible from Brisbane tonight?

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

When is the best night to stargaze in Brisbane soon?

The darkest upcoming night is around Mon 17 Aug, when the Moon is only 26% lit.

Times are local to Brisbane (Australia/Brisbane). 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.