Will it be clear for stargazing in Minneapolis tonight?

Variable cloud, no long clear spell; no moonlight (new Moon). That is the hourly total-cloud forecast for Minneapolis, United States on the night of 8 October 2026, read inside the darkest hours: under 25% cloud counts as clear and 65% or more as cloudy. Most of the cloud is high and thin, which dims faint objects rather than hiding the sky.

When does it get dark in Minneapolis tonight?

In Minneapolis, United States on the night of 8 October 2026, astronomical darkness begins at 8:17 PM and lasts until 5:43 AM CDT — 9 h 26 min of fully dark sky. The Sun sets at 6:40 PM, and nautical twilight ends at 7:43 PM.

Is the Moon up tonight in Minneapolis?

On the night of 8 October 2026 in Minneapolis, United States, the Moon is a new moon, 2% illuminated. It sets at 5:39 PM and rises at 6:16 AM, CDT. 9 h 26 min of the dark window is moon-free.

Which planets can I see from Minneapolis tonight?

From Minneapolis, United States on the night of 8 October 2026: Mars (2:17 AM–5:43 AM, highest 46° in the E at 5:43 AM, magnitude 1.1); Jupiter (3:37 AM–5:43 AM, highest 33° in the E at 5:43 AM, magnitude -1.9); Saturn (8:17 PM–5:43 AM, highest 47° in the S at 12:47 AM, magnitude 0.2). Times are CDT; all are visible to the naked eye.

Stargazing forecast

Stargazing forecast for Minneapolis, Minnesota

Thu 8 Oct night
44.980° N, 93.264° W
253 m
CDT · America/Chicago

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

Tonight at a glance

Variable cloud, no long clear spell; no moonlight (new Moon).

Most of the cloud is high and thin, which dims faint objects rather than hiding the sky.

Updated 1:24 PM CDT (8 Oct, 18:24 UTC) · MET Norway forecast issued 8 Oct, 17:18 UTC

Cloud cover: 56%Partly cloudy
Dark hours: 9 h 26 min8:17 PM–5:43 AM
Moon: 2%9 h 26 min moon-free
Wind: 3 mphCalm
Low temperature: 48°FDuring the dark hours
Dew risk: ModerateAir comes within 6° 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 Minneapolis
CDT	Thu 8								Fri 9																								Sat 10
Hour	4p	5p	6p	7p	8p	9p	10p	11p	12a	1a	2a	3a	4a	5a	6a	7a	8a	9a	10a	11a	12p	1p	2p	3p	4p	5p	6p	7p	8p	9p	10p	11p	12a	1a	2a	3a	4a	5a	6a	7a
Sky: Daylight 4p–7p, Nautical twilight 7p–8p, Dark 8p–6a, Nautical twilight 6a–7a, Daylight 7a–7p, Nautical twilight 7p–8p, Dark 8p–6a, Nautical twilight 6a–7a, Daylight 7a–8a
Total cloud	99	98	77	13	63	13	49	54	43	22	78	68	77	98	100	99	91	21	30	90	49	0	40	29	56	8	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	6	4	3	0	0	0
Low cloud	0	0	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	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Mid cloud	98	98	70	8	41	2	14	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
High cloud	10	9	16	6	35	11	41	54	43	22	78	68	77	98	100	99	91	21	30	90	49	0	38	29	56	8	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	6	4	3	0	0	0
Sun & Moon
Temperature °F	64	64	63	61	59	57	55	54	53	52	51	50	49	48	48	49	50	53	58	62	66	69	71	71	72	71	69	67	65	64	63	61	61	60	60	60	61	62	63	63
Dew point °F; dew risk (within 2° of the dew point): 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a	35	35	37	39	40	41	41	41	42	42	42	43	43	43	43	42	42	42	41	40	40	41	43	45	47	49	51	51	52	52	53	54	55	56	57	58	59	59	57	55
Wind mph	7	6	5	4	4	4	4	3	2	3	1	2	3	4	5	5	6	7	7	8	10	10	11	11	11	11	10	10	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	10	11	11	11
Rain (mm)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	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
56%Partly cloudy
2% · 9 h 26 min moon-free
8:17 PM–5:43 AM
Fri9 Oct
2%Clear
0% · 9 h 29 min moon-free
8:15 PM–5:44 AM
Sat10 Oct
0%Clear
1% · 9 h 32 min moon-free
8:14 PM–5:46 AM
6-hourly data
Sun11 Oct
69%Cloudy
3% · 9 h 35 min moon-free
8:12 PM–5:47 AM
6-hourly data
Mon12 Oct
100%Cloudy
7% · 9 h 38 min moon-free
8:10 PM–5:48 AM
6-hourly data
Tue13 Oct
54%Partly cloudy
13% · 9 h 41 min moon-free
8:08 PM–5:50 AM
6-hourly data
Wed14 Oct
54%Partly cloudy
20% · 9 h 34 min moon-free
8:07 PM–5:51 AM
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: 6:40 PM
Civil dusk (−6°): 7:09 PM
Nautical dusk (−12°): 7:43 PM
Astronomical dusk (−18°): 8:17 PM
Astronomical dawn (−18°): 5:43 AM
Nautical dawn (−12°): 6:17 AM
Civil dawn (−6°): 6:51 AM
Sunrise: 7:21 AM

Dark window: 8:17 PM – 5:43 AM CDT (9 h 26 min)

The Moon

New Moon

Illuminated: 2%
Age: 27.6 days
Moonrise: 6:16 AM
Moonset: 5:39 PM
Moon-free dark time: 9 h 26 min

Next phases

New MoonSat 10 Oct10:50 AM
First QuarterSun 18 Oct11:13 AM
Full MoonSun 25 Oct11:12 PM
Last QuarterSun 1 Nov2:28 PM

Next lunar eclipse visible here: Partial · Tue 11 Jan 2028, 10:13 PM · Moon 55° up
Next solar eclipse visible here: Partial · Sun 14 Jan 2029, 11:17 AM · 66% 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 — Minneapolis
Planet	Rises	Transits (altitude)	Sets	Best seen tonight	Brightness	In
JupiterVisible	2:29 AM	9:34 AM · 60°	4:43 PM	3:37 AM–5:43 AM, E	mag -1.9	Leo
SaturnVisible	6:36 PM	12:46 AM · 47°	6:55 AM	8:17 PM–5:43 AM, S	mag 0.2	Cetus
MarsVisible	1:10 AM	8:37 AM · 65°	4:06 PM	2:17 AM–5:43 AM, E	mag 1.1	Cancer
Venus	9:38 AM	2:14 PM · 24°	6:46 PM	Below 10°	mag -4.6	Virgo
Mercury	9:42 AM	2:31 PM · 28°	7:21 PM	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 · 10:50 AM
New Moon
Darkest skies of the month for galaxies and the Milky Way.
Oct12Mon
Planet · 5:06 AM
Mercury at greatest evening elongation
25° from the Sun — the best evening view of Mercury, low in the west after sunset.
Oct25Sun
Moon · 11:12 PM
Full Moon
Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.
Oct28Wed
Moon · 1:04 PM
Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)
Closest to Earth this month: 364,397 km.
Nov9Mon
Moon · 1:02 AM
New Moon
Darkest skies of the month for galaxies and the Milky Way.
Nov24Tue
Moon · 8:54 AM
Full Moon
Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.
Nov25Wed
Moon · 3:02 PM
Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)
Closest to Earth this month: 359,335 km.
Dec8Tue
Moon · 6:52 PM
New Moon
Darkest skies of the month for galaxies and the Milky Way.
Dec21Mon
Season · 2:50 PM
Winter solstice
The longest night of the year — the most hours of darkness.
Dec23Wed
Moon · 7:28 PM
Full Moon
Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.
Dec24Thu
Moon · 2:32 AM
Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)
Closest to Earth this month: 356,641 km.
Jan3Sun
Planet · 11:56 AM
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 Minneapolis tonight?: Variable cloud, no long clear spell; no moonlight (new Moon). That is the hourly total-cloud forecast for Minneapolis, United States on the night of 8 October 2026, read inside the darkest hours: under 25% cloud counts as clear and 65% or more as cloudy. Most of the cloud is high and thin, which dims faint objects rather than hiding the sky.
When does it get dark in Minneapolis tonight?: In Minneapolis, United States on the night of 8 October 2026, astronomical darkness begins at 8:17 PM and lasts until 5:43 AM CDT — 9 h 26 min of fully dark sky. The Sun sets at 6:40 PM, and nautical twilight ends at 7:43 PM.
Is the Moon up tonight in Minneapolis?: On the night of 8 October 2026 in Minneapolis, United States, the Moon is a new moon, 2% illuminated. It sets at 5:39 PM and rises at 6:16 AM, CDT. 9 h 26 min of the dark window is moon-free.
Which planets can I see from Minneapolis tonight?: From Minneapolis, United States on the night of 8 October 2026: Mars (2:17 AM–5:43 AM, highest 46° in the E at 5:43 AM, magnitude 1.1); Jupiter (3:37 AM–5:43 AM, highest 33° in the E at 5:43 AM, magnitude -1.9); Saturn (8:17 PM–5:43 AM, highest 47° in the S at 12:47 AM, magnitude 0.2). Times are CDT; all are visible to the naked eye.

Forecast details

Location: 44.980° N, 93.264° W
Elevation: 253 m
Time zone: America/Chicago (CDT)
Weather model: MET Norway Locationforecast 2.0
Forecast issued: 8 Oct, 17:18 UTC
Next update expected: ≈ 8 Oct, 18:55 UTC
Page generated: 8 Oct, 18:24 UTC
Astronomy: Computed with astronomy-engine for these coordinates

Computed for 44.980° N, 93.264° W, elevation 253 m, time zone America/Chicago. 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 States Moon phase calendar Telescope FOV calculator

Get tonight's score on your phone

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

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