WhenToStargaze

Stargazing in Wilmington tonight

United States · 34.24°, -77.95°

Stargazing verdict · tonight

Fair

Fair — stars visible, but not the best conditions.

  • ›A bright first quarter (59% 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 Wilmington: 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 Wilmington
Fri 21 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 Wilmington.

Tonight's sky in Wilmington

🌓 Moon
First Quarter
59% lit
🌑 Darkness
21:21–05:08
8h of dark
🌇 Sun
sets 19:51
rises 06:38
🌙 Moon rise/set
up 15:39
down 01:08

Planets visible tonight

♂ Mars
Best early hours · toward the E · 31° up
♄ Saturn
Best early hours · toward the SW · 56° 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 22 Aug
22 Aug
70% moon
Sun 23 Aug
23 Aug
78% moon
Mon 24 Aug
24 Aug
85% moon
Tue 25 Aug
25 Aug
91% moon
Wed 26 Aug
26 Aug
96% 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
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
63% moon
Fri 4 Sept
4 Sept
51% moon

Upcoming sky events from Wilmington

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 Wilmington →All sky events

Stargazing in Wilmington — FAQ

Is tonight good for stargazing in Wilmington?

Fair — stars visible, but not the best conditions. A bright first quarter (59% lit) will wash out fainter stars. Check the live cloud forecast above, which updates through the day.

What planets are visible from Wilmington tonight?

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

When is the best night to stargaze in Wilmington soon?

The darkest upcoming night is around Fri 4 Sept, when the Moon is only 51% lit.

Times are local to Wilmington (America/New_York). 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.