Will it be clear for stargazing in Edinburgh tonight?

Overcast all night; no moonlight (new Moon). That is the hourly total-cloud forecast for Edinburgh, United Kingdom on the night of 8 October 2026, read inside the darkest hours: under 25% cloud counts as clear and 65% or more as cloudy. Rain or showers possible from about 20:00. Most of the cloud is low cloud, which blocks the sky outright.

When does it get dark in Edinburgh tonight?

In Edinburgh, United Kingdom on the night of 8 October 2026, astronomical darkness begins at 20:33 and lasts until 05:27 GMT+1 — 8 h 54 min of fully dark sky. The Sun sets at 18:29, and nautical twilight ends at 19:49.

Is the Moon up tonight in Edinburgh?

On the night of 8 October 2026 in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, the Moon is a waning crescent, 3% illuminated. It sets at 17:37 and rises at 06:01, GMT+1. 8 h 54 min of the dark window is moon-free.

Which planets can I see from Edinburgh tonight?

From Edinburgh, United Kingdom on the night of 8 October 2026: Mars (01:53–05:27, highest 40° in the SE at 05:27, magnitude 1.1); Jupiter (03:23–05:27, highest 28° in the E at 05:27, magnitude -1.9); Saturn (20:33–05:27, highest 36° in the S at 00:43, magnitude 0.2). Times are GMT+1; all are visible to the naked eye.

Stargazing forecast

Stargazing forecast for Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Thu 8 Oct night
55.952° N, 3.196° W
66 m
GMT+1 · Europe/London

Open the live forecast — sky score, seeing, 7 nights

Tonight at a glance

Overcast all night; no moonlight (new Moon).

Rain or showers possible from about 20:00.
Most of the cloud is low cloud, which blocks the sky outright.
Dew risk: the temperature comes within 2 °C (3.6 °F) of the dew point by 20:00 — optics may fog without a dew heater.

Updated 19:24 GMT+1 (8 Oct, 18:24 UTC) · MET Norway forecast issued 8 Oct, 17:18 UTC

Cloud cover: 100%Cloudy
Dark hours: 8 h 54 min20:33–05:27
Moon: 3%8 h 54 min moon-free
Wind: 23 km/hBreezy
Low temperature: 8°CDuring the dark hours
Dew risk: HighAir comes within 1° of the dew point

Photo: Milky Way over Paranal — ESO/A. Ghizzi Panizza (www.albertoghizzipanizza.com), CC BY 4.0

Hourly forecast

Cloud by layer, hour by hour. Darker blue means clearer sky; each cell shows its percentage. Low cloud blocks the sky outright; thin high cloud only dims it.

Hourly cloud cover (%) and conditions tonight in Edinburgh
GMT+1	Thu 8					Fri 9																								Sat 10
Hour	19	20	21	22	23	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10
Sky: Nautical twilight 19–20, Astronomical twilight 20–21, Dark 21–05, Astronomical twilight 05–06, Nautical twilight 06–07, Daylight 07–19, Nautical twilight 19–20, Astronomical twilight 20–21, Dark 21–05, Astronomical twilight 05–06, Nautical twilight 06–07, Daylight 07–11
Total cloud	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	98	100	98	50	16	22	57	22	48	16	27	23	9	6	13	22	31	13	21	17	33	25	30	39	27	31	26	30	47
Low cloud	66	95	99	100	100	100	100	100	100	85	91	98	98	90	50	9	14	29	12	32	12	15	20	7	5	9	10	28	10	19	16	28	20	26	38	25	25	18	15	31
Mid cloud	100	100	100	100	91	69	97	35	66	35	99	82	100	63	2	10	9	45	13	31	6	20	9	2	2	5	13	5	4	3	2	6	8	6	13	5	16	9	19	26
High cloud	100	98	97	93	96	93	99	100	100	99	43	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Sun & Moon
Temperature °C	9	8	9	9	10	11	12	13	13	13	14	14	14	13	12	11	12	12	11	12	11	11	10	10	9	9	8	8	8	8	9	8	8	8	8	8	7	7	8	9
Dew point °C; dew risk (within 2° of the dew point): 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 03	7	7	7	8	9	10	11	12	12	12	13	13	13	12	10	8	8	7	7	7	8	7	7	7	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	5	5	5	4	5
Wind km/h	17	19	21	23	25	23	23	22	23	24	28	30	28	29	33	30	30	30	27	31	31	30	30	27	27	26	25	26	27	27	30	32	32	31	32	32	32	32	34	37
Rain (mm)	1.5	0.5	0.9	1.4	0	0	0.1	0	0.2	0.6	0.3	0.1	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0.1	0.4	0.2	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Cloud cover0–9%10–24%25–44%45–64%65–84%85–100%

SkyDaylightCivil twilightNautical twilightAstronomical twilightDark

Sun altitudeMoon altitude12dew risk (within 2° of the dew point)Scroll sideways for the next 40 hours →

Weather data: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0)

Next 7 nights

Average cloud during each night's dark hours, with the Moon. The first two to three nights use hourly data; later nights use MET Norway's 6-hourly steps and are less certain.

Tonight8 Oct
100%Cloudy
3% · 8 h 54 min moon-free
20:33–05:27
Fri9 Oct
24%Clear
1% · 8 h 59 min moon-free
20:31–05:29
Sat10 Oct
11%Clear
0% · 9 h 3 min moon-free
20:28–05:31
Sun11 Oct
48%Partly cloudy
2% · 9 h 8 min moon-free
20:25–05:33
6-hourly data
Mon12 Oct
100%Cloudy
6% · 9 h 13 min moon-free
20:23–05:35
6-hourly data
Tue13 Oct
16%Clear
11% · 9 h 17 min moon-free
20:20–05:37
6-hourly data
Wed14 Oct
100%Cloudy
18% · 9 h 22 min moon-free
20:18–05:39
6-hourly data

Sun & twilight

Twilight ends in three steps. Faint galaxies and the Milky Way need astronomical darkness, when the Sun is more than 18° below the horizon.

Sunset: 18:29
Civil dusk (−6°): 19:07
Nautical dusk (−12°): 19:49
Astronomical dusk (−18°): 20:33
Astronomical dawn (−18°): 05:27
Nautical dawn (−12°): 06:11
Civil dawn (−6°): 06:54
Sunrise: 07:31

Dark window: 20:33 – 05:27 GMT+1 (8 h 54 min)

The Moon

Waning Crescent

Illuminated: 3%
Age: 27.6 days
Moonrise: 06:01
Moonset: 17:37
Moon-free dark time: 8 h 54 min

Next phases

New MoonSat 10 Oct16:50
First QuarterSun 18 Oct17:13
Full MoonMon 26 Oct04:12
Last QuarterSun 1 Nov20:28

Next lunar eclipse visible here: Partial · Wed 12 Jan 2028, 04:13 · Moon 36° up
Next solar eclipse visible here: Partial · Mon 2 Aug 2027, 10:00 · 27% of the Sun covered

Planets tonight

Naked-eye planets that climb more than 10° above the horizon during the astronomically dark hours.

Altitude through the night

Planets tonight — Edinburgh
Planet	Rises	Transits (altitude)	Sets	Best seen tonight	Brightness	In
JupiterVisible	01:57	09:35 · 49°	17:16	03:23–05:27, E	mag -1.9	Leo
SaturnVisible	18:32	00:46 · 36°	07:00	20:33–05:27, S	mag 0.2	Cetus
MarsVisible	00:24	08:37 · 54°	16:53	01:53–05:27, SE	mag 1.1	Cancer
Venus	10:26	14:15 · 13°	17:59	Below 10°	mag -4.6	Virgo
Mercury	10:18	14:31 · 17°	18:45	Below 10°	mag -0.1	Libra

Lower magnitude = brighter. Venus and Jupiter outshine every star.

Sky events — next 90 days

Moon phases, seasons, planet highlights and eclipses, with times for this city.

Oct10Sat
Moon · 16:50
New Moon
Darkest skies of the month for galaxies and the Milky Way.
Oct12Mon
Planet · 11:06
Mercury at greatest evening elongation
25° from the Sun — the best evening view of Mercury, low in the west after sunset.
Oct26Mon
Moon · 04:12
Full Moon
Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.
Oct28Wed
Moon · 18:04
Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)
Closest to Earth this month: 364,397 km.
Nov9Mon
Moon · 07:02
New Moon
Darkest skies of the month for galaxies and the Milky Way.
Nov24Tue
Moon · 14:54
Full Moon
Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.
Nov25Wed
Moon · 21:02
Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)
Closest to Earth this month: 359,335 km.
Dec9Wed
Moon · 00:52
New Moon
Darkest skies of the month for galaxies and the Milky Way.
Dec21Mon
Season · 20:50
Winter solstice
The longest night of the year — the most hours of darkness.
Dec24Thu
Moon · 01:28
Full Moon
Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.
Dec24Thu
Moon · 08:32
Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)
Closest to Earth this month: 356,641 km.
Jan3Sun
Planet · 17:56
Venus at greatest morning elongation
47° from the Sun — the best morning view of Venus, low in the east before sunrise.

Quick answers

Will it be clear for stargazing in Edinburgh tonight?: Overcast all night; no moonlight (new Moon). That is the hourly total-cloud forecast for Edinburgh, United Kingdom on the night of 8 October 2026, read inside the darkest hours: under 25% cloud counts as clear and 65% or more as cloudy. Rain or showers possible from about 20:00. Most of the cloud is low cloud, which blocks the sky outright.
When does it get dark in Edinburgh tonight?: In Edinburgh, United Kingdom on the night of 8 October 2026, astronomical darkness begins at 20:33 and lasts until 05:27 GMT+1 — 8 h 54 min of fully dark sky. The Sun sets at 18:29, and nautical twilight ends at 19:49.
Is the Moon up tonight in Edinburgh?: On the night of 8 October 2026 in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, the Moon is a waning crescent, 3% illuminated. It sets at 17:37 and rises at 06:01, GMT+1. 8 h 54 min of the dark window is moon-free.
Which planets can I see from Edinburgh tonight?: From Edinburgh, United Kingdom on the night of 8 October 2026: Mars (01:53–05:27, highest 40° in the SE at 05:27, magnitude 1.1); Jupiter (03:23–05:27, highest 28° in the E at 05:27, magnitude -1.9); Saturn (20:33–05:27, highest 36° in the S at 00:43, magnitude 0.2). Times are GMT+1; all are visible to the naked eye.

Forecast details

Location: 55.952° N, 3.196° W
Elevation: 66 m
Time zone: Europe/London (GMT+1)
Weather model: MET Norway Locationforecast 2.0
Forecast issued: 8 Oct, 17:18 UTC
Next update expected: ≈ 8 Oct, 18:54 UTC
Page generated: 8 Oct, 18:24 UTC
Astronomy: Computed with astronomy-engine for these coordinates

Computed for 55.952° N, 3.196° W, elevation 66 m, time zone Europe/London. City centres are light-polluted; the times here apply anywhere within about 50 km, so drive out to darker skies.

Sun, Moon and planet positions are calculated with astronomy-engine. Twilight uses the Sun's geometric centre; sunrise and sunset use the upper limb with standard refraction.

The summary line restates the hourly total-cloud forecast inside the dark window (clear under 25%, cloudy from 65%) and the Moon's times. It is not a score — the Tonight score lives in the app.

Seeing and transparency forecasts are coming to the app first (North America via Environment Canada's model, a worldwide beta elsewhere).

Nearby city forecasts

All forecasts in United Kingdom Moon phase calendar Telescope FOV calculator

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The Astronight app adds an hourly sky score, the best window, seeing and transparency, and alerts for clear nights.

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