WhenToStargaze

Stargazing in South Shields tonight

United Kingdom · 55.00°, -1.43°

Stargazing verdict · tonight

Fair

Fair — stars visible, but not the best conditions.

  • ›A waning crescent (17% lit) only mildly brightens the sky.
  • ›The Sun never fully sets into darkness tonight (bright summer twilight) — but great for noctilucent clouds.

Your sky map — scrub through time

A live map of the sky above South Shields: 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 South Shields
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 South Shields.

Tonight's sky in South Shields

🌘 Moon
Waning Crescent
17% lit
🌑 Darkness
Twilight all night
no full dark
🌇 Sun
sets 21:41
rises 04:41
🌙 Moon rise/set
up 00:51
down 18:02

Planets visible tonight

♀ Venus
Best evening · toward the W · 7° up
♂ Mars
Best early hours · toward the E · 15° up
♄ Saturn
Best early hours · toward the SE · 28° 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
17% moon
Sun 12 Jul
12 Jul
9% moon
Mon 13 Jul
13 Jul
3% moon
Tue 14 Jul
14 Jul
0% moon
Wed 15 Jul
15 Jul
1% moon
Thu 16 Jul
16 Jul
4% moon
Fri 17 Jul
17 Jul
9% moon
Sat 18 Jul
18 Jul
17% moon
Sun 19 Jul
19 Jul
26% moon
Mon 20 Jul
20 Jul
36% moon
Tue 21 Jul
21 Jul
46% moon
Wed 22 Jul
22 Jul
55% moon
Thu 23 Jul
23 Jul
65% moon
Fri 24 Jul
24 Jul
74% moon

The 12 August 2026 solar eclipse from South Shields

From South Shields this is a partial eclipse — about 90% of the Sun is covered at maximum, around 19:07 local time. Partial phases begin ~18:10 and end ~20:01.

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

Full 2026 eclipse guide →

Upcoming sky events from South Shields

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
The most popular shower of the year, and 2026 is an excellent year: the peak on 12–13 August falls on a new Moon, so no moonlight to wash it out. Up to ~90 meteors an hour from a dark site, radiating from the constellation Perseus.
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 South Shields →All sky events

Stargazing in South Shields — FAQ

Is tonight good for stargazing in South Shields?

Fair — stars visible, but not the best conditions. A waning crescent (17% lit) only mildly brightens the sky. Check the live cloud forecast above, which updates through the day.

What planets are visible from South Shields tonight?

Tonight you can spot Venus, Mars, Saturn above the horizon from South Shields, conditions permitting.

When is the best night to stargaze in South Shields soon?

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

Times are local to South Shields (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.