Stargazing in Cork tonight

Ireland · 51.90°, -8.47°

Stargazing verdict · tonight

Poor

Poor — moonlight or twilight limits stargazing tonight.

›A bright full moon (98% lit) will wash out fainter stars.
›Around 6 hours of real darkness tonight.

Your sky map — scrub through time

A live map of the sky above Cork: 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 Cork

Wed 26 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 Cork.

Tonight's sky in Cork

🌕 Moon

Full Moon

98% lit

🌑 Darkness

22:45–04:26

6h of dark

🌇 Sun

sets 20:34

rises 06:37

🌙 Moon rise/set

up 20:05

down 05:33

Planets visible tonight

♂ Mars

Best early hours · toward the E · 23° up

♄ Saturn

Best early hours · toward the S · 41° 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.

Thu 27 Aug

27 Aug

99% moon

Fri 28 Aug

28 Aug

100% moon

Sat 29 Aug

29 Aug

99% moon

Sun 30 Aug

30 Aug

96% moon

Mon 31 Aug

31 Aug

91% moon

Tue 1 Sept

1 Sept

84% moon

Wed 2 Sept

2 Sept

75% moon

Thu 3 Sept

3 Sept

65% moon

Fri 4 Sept

4 Sept

54% moon

Sat 5 Sept

5 Sept

42% moon

Sun 6 Sept

6 Sept

31% moon

Mon 7 Sept

7 Sept

21% moon

Tue 8 Sept

8 Sept

12% moon

Wed 9 Sept

9 Sept

6% moon

The 12 August 2026 solar eclipse from Cork

From Cork this is a partial eclipse — about 96% of the Sun is covered at maximum, around 19:13 local time. Partial phases begin ~18:14 and end ~20:08.

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

Full 2026 eclipse guide →

Upcoming sky events from Cork

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 Cork →All sky events

Stargazing in Cork — FAQ

Is tonight good for stargazing in Cork?

Poor — moonlight or twilight limits stargazing tonight. A bright full moon (98% lit) will wash out fainter stars. Check the live cloud forecast above, which updates through the day.

What planets are visible from Cork tonight?

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

When is the best night to stargaze in Cork soon?

The darkest upcoming night is around Wed 9 Sept, when the Moon is only 6% lit.

Times are local to Cork (Europe/Dublin). 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.