WhenToStargaze

Stargazing in Manchester tonight

United Kingdom · 53.48°, -2.24°

Stargazing verdict · tonight

Poor

Poor — moonlight or twilight limits stargazing tonight.

  • ›A bright first quarter (51% lit) will wash out fainter stars.
  • ›Around 5 hours of real darkness tonight.

Your sky map — scrub through time

A live map of the sky above Manchester: 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 Manchester
Thu 20 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 Manchester.

Tonight's sky in Manchester

🌓 Moon
First Quarter
51% lit
🌑 Darkness
22:53–03:31
5h of dark
🌇 Sun
sets 20:26
rises 05:58
🌙 Moon rise/set
up 15:58
down 22:35

Planets visible tonight

♂ Mars
Best early hours · toward the E · 18° up
♄ Saturn
Best early hours · toward the S · 39° 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.

Fri 21 Aug
21 Aug
59% moon
Sat 22 Aug
22 Aug
68% moon
Sun 23 Aug
23 Aug
76% moon
Mon 24 Aug
24 Aug
84% moon
Tue 25 Aug
25 Aug
90% moon
Wed 26 Aug
26 Aug
95% moon
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

The 12 August 2026 solar eclipse from Manchester

From Manchester this is a partial eclipse — about 91% of the Sun is covered at maximum, around 19:10 local time. Partial phases begin ~18:13 and end ~20:03.

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

Full 2026 eclipse guide →

Upcoming sky events from Manchester

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 Manchester →All sky events

Stargazing in Manchester — FAQ

Is tonight good for stargazing in Manchester?

Poor — moonlight or twilight limits stargazing tonight. A bright first quarter (51% lit) will wash out fainter stars. Check the live cloud forecast above, which updates through the day.

What planets are visible from Manchester tonight?

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

When is the best night to stargaze in Manchester soon?

The darkest upcoming night is around Fri 21 Aug, when the Moon is only 59% lit.

Times are local to Manchester (Europe/London). 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.