WhenToStargaze

Stargazing in Gelsenkirchen tonight

Germany · 51.51°, 7.10°

Stargazing verdict · tonight

Good

Good — worth heading out if skies are clear.

  • ›A last quarter (40% lit) only mildly brightens the sky.
  • ›About 9 hours of true darkness to work with.

Your sky map — scrub through time

A live map of the sky above Gelsenkirchen: 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 Gelsenkirchen
Sun 4 Oct, 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 Gelsenkirchen.

Tonight's sky in Gelsenkirchen

🌗 Moon
Last Quarter
40% lit
🌑 Darkness
20:53–05:47
9h of dark
🌇 Sun
sets 19:02
rises 07:38
🌙 Moon rise/set
up 00:42
down 16:43

Planets visible tonight

♂ Mars
Best early hours · toward the E · 41° up
♃ Jupiter
Best early hours · toward the E · 27° up
♄ Saturn
Best most of the night · toward the S · 40° 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.

Sun 4 Oct
4 Oct
34% moon
Mon 5 Oct
5 Oct
24% moon
Tue 6 Oct
6 Oct
15% moon
Wed 7 Oct
7 Oct
8% moon
Thu 8 Oct
8 Oct
3% moon
Fri 9 Oct
9 Oct
1% moon
Sat 10 Oct
10 Oct
0% moon
Sun 11 Oct
11 Oct
2% moon
Mon 12 Oct
12 Oct
6% moon
Tue 13 Oct
13 Oct
11% moon
Wed 14 Oct
14 Oct
18% moon
Thu 15 Oct
15 Oct
26% moon
Fri 16 Oct
16 Oct
34% moon
Sat 17 Oct
17 Oct
44% moon

The 12 August 2026 solar eclipse from Gelsenkirchen

From Gelsenkirchen this is a partial eclipse — about 88% of the Sun is covered at maximum, around 20:11 local time. Partial phases begin ~19:17 and end ~21:03.

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

Full 2026 eclipse guide →

Upcoming sky events from Gelsenkirchen

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.
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.
17 November · lesser-known
Leonid meteor shower
The Leonids peak around 17 November at ~15 fast meteors an hour. Famous for rare, spectacular storms every ~33 years; 2026 is a normal year, but still a pleasant pre-dawn watch.
23 December
December supermoon
The final and closest supermoon of 2026 on 23 December — a full Moon near its closest approach to Earth, appearing slightly larger and noticeably brighter. Lovely to the eye, especially rising near the horizon.
Moon phase for Gelsenkirchen →All sky events

Stargazing in Gelsenkirchen — FAQ

Is tonight good for stargazing in Gelsenkirchen?

Good — worth heading out if skies are clear. A last quarter (40% lit) only mildly brightens the sky. Check the live cloud forecast above, which updates through the day.

What planets are visible from Gelsenkirchen tonight?

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

When is the best night to stargaze in Gelsenkirchen soon?

The darkest upcoming night is around Sat 10 Oct, when the Moon is only 0% lit.

Times are local to Gelsenkirchen (Europe/Berlin). 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.