Stargazing in Des Moines tonight

United States · 41.60°, -93.61°

Stargazing verdict · tonight

Good

Good — worth heading out if skies are clear.

›A waning crescent (18% lit) only mildly brightens the sky.
›Around 5 hours of real darkness tonight.

Your sky map — scrub through time

A live map of the sky above Des Moines: 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 Des Moines

Fri 10 Jul, 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 Des Moines.

Tonight's sky in Des Moines

🌘 Moon

Waning Crescent

18% lit

🌑 Darkness

22:54–03:45

5h of dark

🌇 Sun

sets 20:49

rises 05:50

🌙 Moon rise/set

up 02:24

down 17:22

Planets visible tonight

♂ Mars

Best early hours · toward the NE · 7° up

♄ Saturn

Best early hours · toward the SE · 33° 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.

Sat 11 Jul

11 Jul

14% moon

Sun 12 Jul

12 Jul

7% moon

Mon 13 Jul

13 Jul

2% moon

Tue 14 Jul

14 Jul

0% moon

Wed 15 Jul

15 Jul

1% moon

Thu 16 Jul

16 Jul

5% moon

Fri 17 Jul

17 Jul

11% moon

Sat 18 Jul

18 Jul

19% moon

Sun 19 Jul

19 Jul

28% moon

Mon 20 Jul

20 Jul

38% moon

Tue 21 Jul

21 Jul

48% moon

Wed 22 Jul

22 Jul

58% moon

Thu 23 Jul

23 Jul

67% moon

Fri 24 Jul

24 Jul

76% moon

Upcoming sky events from Des Moines

12 August

Total solar eclipse

The headline event of 2026 and the first total solar eclipse over continental Europe since 1999. The narrow path of totality crosses eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain (plus a sliver of Portugal); a partial eclipse is visible across much of Europe, northern Asia, North Africa and parts of North America. Totality lasts up to 2m 18s.

12 August

Perseid meteor shower

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.

Moon phase for Des Moines →All sky events

Stargazing in Des Moines — FAQ

Is tonight good for stargazing in Des Moines?

Good — worth heading out if skies are clear. A waning crescent (18% lit) only mildly brightens the sky. Check the live cloud forecast above, which updates through the day.

What planets are visible from Des Moines tonight?

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

When is the best night to stargaze in Des Moines soon?

The darkest upcoming night is around Tue 14 Jul, when the Moon is only 0% lit.

Times are local to Des Moines (America/Chicago). 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.