Stargazing in Santa Monica tonight

United States · 34.02°, -118.49°

Stargazing verdict · tonight

Fair

Fair — stars visible, but not the best conditions.

›A bright full moon (100% lit) will wash out fainter stars.
›About 9 hours of true darkness to work with.

Your sky map — scrub through time

A live map of the sky above Santa Monica: 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 Santa Monica

Sat 26 Sept, 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 Santa Monica.

Tonight's sky in Santa Monica

🌕 Moon

Full Moon

100% lit

🌑 Darkness

20:08–05:22

9h of dark

🌇 Sun

sets 18:44

rises 06:45

🌙 Moon rise/set

up 18:40

down 07:48

Planets visible tonight

♂ Mars

Best early hours · toward the E · 46° up

♃ Jupiter

Best early hours · toward the E · 27° up

♄ Saturn

Best most of the night · toward the S · 58° 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 27 Sept

27 Sept

99% moon

Mon 28 Sept

28 Sept

97% moon

Tue 29 Sept

29 Sept

91% moon

Wed 30 Sept

30 Sept

84% moon

Thu 1 Oct

1 Oct

75% moon

Fri 2 Oct

2 Oct

64% moon

Sat 3 Oct

3 Oct

53% moon

Sun 4 Oct

4 Oct

41% moon

Mon 5 Oct

5 Oct

30% moon

Tue 6 Oct

6 Oct

21% moon

Wed 7 Oct

7 Oct

12% moon

Thu 8 Oct

8 Oct

6% moon

Fri 9 Oct

9 Oct

2% moon

Sat 10 Oct

10 Oct

0% moon

Upcoming sky events from Santa Monica

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.

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.

Moon phase for Santa Monica →All sky events

Stargazing in Santa Monica — FAQ

Is tonight good for stargazing in Santa Monica?

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 Santa Monica tonight?

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

When is the best night to stargaze in Santa Monica soon?

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

Times are local to Santa Monica (America/Los_Angeles). 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.