WhenToStargaze

Stargazing in McKinney tonight

United States · 33.20°, -96.62°

Stargazing verdict · tonight

Fair

Fair — stars visible, but not the best conditions.

  • ›A bright full moon (100% lit) will wash out fainter stars.
  • ›About 8 hours of true darkness to work with.

Your sky map — scrub through time

A live map of the sky above McKinney: 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 McKinney
Thu 27 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 McKinney.

Tonight's sky in McKinney

🌕 Moon
Full Moon
100% lit
🌑 Darkness
21:24–05:31
8h of dark
🌇 Sun
sets 19:57
rises 06:58
🌙 Moon rise/set
up 19:48
down 07:21

Planets visible tonight

♂ Mars
Best early hours · toward the E · 34° up
♄ Saturn
Best early hours · toward the SW · 52° 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 28 Aug
28 Aug
100% moon
Sat 29 Aug
29 Aug
99% moon
Sun 30 Aug
30 Aug
95% moon
Mon 31 Aug
31 Aug
90% moon
Tue 1 Sept
1 Sept
82% moon
Wed 2 Sept
2 Sept
73% moon
Thu 3 Sept
3 Sept
62% moon
Fri 4 Sept
4 Sept
51% moon
Sat 5 Sept
5 Sept
39% moon
Sun 6 Sept
6 Sept
28% moon
Mon 7 Sept
7 Sept
19% moon
Tue 8 Sept
8 Sept
10% moon
Wed 9 Sept
9 Sept
4% moon
Thu 10 Sept
10 Sept
1% moon

Upcoming sky events from McKinney

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 McKinney →All sky events

Stargazing in McKinney — FAQ

Is tonight good for stargazing in McKinney?

Fair — stars visible, but not the best conditions. A bright full moon (100% lit) will wash out fainter stars. Check the live cloud forecast above, which updates through the day.

What planets are visible from McKinney tonight?

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

When is the best night to stargaze in McKinney soon?

The darkest upcoming night is around Thu 10 Sept, when the Moon is only 1% lit.

Times are local to McKinney (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.