Skip to content
Astronight
Live forecastGet the app

Stargazing forecast

Stargazing forecast for San Diego, California

  • Thu 8 Oct night
  • 32.716° N, 117.165° W
  • 20 m
  • PDT · America/Los_Angeles
Open the live forecast — sky score, seeing, 7 nights

Tonight at a glance

Mostly clear, some cloud around 5:00 AM; no moonlight (new Moon).

  • Dew risk: the temperature comes within 2 °C (3.6 °F) of the dew point by 1:00 AM — optics may fog without a dew heater.

· MET Norway forecast issued 9 Oct, 01:17 UTC

Cloud cover
5%Clear
Dark hours
9 h 41 min7:45 PM–5:26 AM
Moon
2%9 h 41 min moon-free
Wind
9 mphLight
Low temperature
71°FDuring the dark hours
Dew risk
HighAir comes within 2° 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 San Diego
PDTThu 8Fri 9Sat 10
Hour8p9p10p11p12a1a2a3a4a5a6a7a8a9a10a11a12p1p2p3p4p5p6p7p8p9p10p11p12a1a2a3a4a5a6a7a8a9a10a11a
Sky: Dark 8p–5a, Astronomical twilight 5a–6a, Civil twilight 6a–7a, Daylight 7a–6p, Civil twilight 6p–7p, Astronomical twilight 7p–8p, Dark 8p–5a, Astronomical twilight 5a–6a, Civil twilight 6a–7a, Daylight 7a–12p
Total cloud000000022429384764412619243162223986005319195981009998100100100100
Low cloud000000022429384764412619243162223986001591011181826202022
Mid cloud00000000000000000000000000000021295892820136
High cloud0000000000000000000000000000327899598100999710099100100
Sun & Moon
Temperature °F77777674737272717171707071747881828282818078757473727272717170707069697070737679
Dew point °F; dew risk (within 2° of the dew point): 1a, 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a, 7a, 8a, 9p, 10p, 11p, 12a, 1a, 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a, 7a, 8a69696969696969696969686767676868686867676868696969696969696969686867676767676767
Wind mph8888911119887767810111213141313121111977799109966710118
Rain (mm)0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
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.

  1. Tonight8 Oct

    5%Clear

    2% · 9 h 41 min moon-free

    7:45 PM–5:26 AM

  2. Fri9 Oct

    40%Partly cloudy

    0% · 9 h 43 min moon-free

    7:44 PM–5:27 AM

  3. Sat10 Oct

    100%Cloudy

    1% · 9 h 45 min moon-free

    7:43 PM–5:28 AM

  4. Sun11 Oct

    59%Partly cloudy

    3% · 9 h 47 min moon-free

    7:42 PM–5:28 AM

    6-hourly data

  5. Mon12 Oct

    62%Partly cloudy

    7% · 9 h 49 min moon-free

    7:40 PM–5:29 AM

    6-hourly data

  6. Tue13 Oct

    4%Clear

    13% · 9 h 30 min moon-free

    7:39 PM–5:30 AM

    6-hourly data

  7. Wed14 Oct

    0%Clear

    20% · 8 h 52 min moon-free

    7:38 PM–5:30 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
6:23 PM
Civil dusk (−6°)
6:48 PM
Nautical dusk (−12°)
7:17 PM
Astronomical dusk (−18°)
7:45 PM
Astronomical dawn (−18°)
5:26 AM
Nautical dawn (−12°)
5:55 AM
Civil dawn (−6°)
6:23 AM
Sunrise
6:48 AM

Dark window: 7:45 PM – 5:26 AM PDT (9 h 41 min)

The Moon

New Moon

Illuminated
2%
Age
28.0 days
Moonrise
5:50 AM
Moonset
5:16 PM
Moon-free dark time
9 h 41 min

Next phases

  1. New MoonSat 10 Oct8:50 AM
  2. First QuarterSun 18 Oct9:13 AM
  3. Full MoonSun 25 Oct9:12 PM
  4. Last QuarterSun 1 Nov12:28 PM
Next lunar eclipse visible here
Partial · Tue 11 Jan 2028, 8:13 PM · Moon 39° up
Next solar eclipse visible here
Partial · Sun 14 Jan 2029, 8:20 AM · 50% 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

0°30°60°90°7:00 PM9:00 PM11:00 PM1:00 AM3:00 AM5:00 AM7:00 AMMarsJupiterSaturn
Planets tonight — San Diego
PlanetRisesTransits (altitude)SetsBest seen tonightBrightnessIn
JupiterVisible2:28 AM9:10 AM · 72°3:55 PM3:25 AM–5:26 AM, Emag -1.9Leo
SaturnVisible6:15 PM12:21 AM · 59°6:27 AM7:45 PM–5:26 AM, Smag 0.2Cetus
MarsVisible1:17 AM8:13 AM · 77°3:10 PM2:15 AM–5:26 AM, Emag 1.1Cancer
Venus8:41 AM1:50 PM · 36°6:54 PMBelow 10°mag -4.5Virgo
Mercury8:51 AM2:07 PM · 40°7:23 PMBelow 10°mag -0.1Libra

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.

  1. Oct10Sat

    Moon · 8:50 AM

    New Moon

    Darkest skies of the month for galaxies and the Milky Way.

  2. Oct12Mon

    Planet · 3:06 AM

    Mercury at greatest evening elongation

    25° from the Sun — the best evening view of Mercury, low in the west after sunset.

  3. Oct25Sun

    Moon · 9:12 PM

    Full Moon

    Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.

  4. Oct28Wed

    Moon · 11:04 AM

    Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)

    Closest to Earth this month: 364,397 km.

  5. Nov8Sun

    Moon · 11:02 PM

    New Moon

    Darkest skies of the month for galaxies and the Milky Way.

  6. Nov24Tue

    Moon · 6:54 AM

    Full Moon

    Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.

  7. Nov25Wed

    Moon · 1:02 PM

    Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)

    Closest to Earth this month: 359,335 km.

  8. Dec8Tue

    Moon · 4:52 PM

    New Moon

    Darkest skies of the month for galaxies and the Milky Way.

  9. Dec21Mon

    Season · 12:50 PM

    Winter solstice

    The longest night of the year — the most hours of darkness.

  10. Dec23Wed

    Moon · 5:28 PM

    Full Moon

    Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.

  11. Dec24Thu

    Moon · 12:32 AM

    Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)

    Closest to Earth this month: 356,641 km.

  12. Jan3Sun

    Planet · 9:56 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 San Diego tonight?
Mostly clear, some cloud around 5:00 AM; no moonlight (new Moon). That is the hourly total-cloud forecast for San Diego, 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.
When does it get dark in San Diego tonight?
In San Diego, United States on the night of 8 October 2026, astronomical darkness begins at 7:45 PM and lasts until 5:26 AM PDT — 9 h 41 min of fully dark sky. The Sun sets at 6:23 PM, and nautical twilight ends at 7:17 PM.
Is the Moon up tonight in San Diego?
On the night of 8 October 2026 in San Diego, United States, the Moon is a new moon, 2% illuminated. It sets at 5:16 PM and rises at 5:50 AM, PDT. 9 h 41 min of the dark window is moon-free.
Which planets can I see from San Diego tonight?
From San Diego, United States on the night of 8 October 2026: Mars (2:15 AM–5:26 AM, highest 51° in the E at 5:26 AM, magnitude 1.1); Jupiter (3:25 AM–5:26 AM, highest 37° in the E at 5:26 AM, magnitude -1.9); Saturn (7:45 PM–5:26 AM, highest 59° in the S at 12:25 AM, magnitude 0.2). Times are PDT; all are visible to the naked eye.

Forecast details

Location
32.716° N, 117.165° W
Elevation
20 m
Time zone
America/Los_Angeles (PDT)
Weather model
MET Norway Locationforecast 2.0
Forecast issued
9 Oct, 01:17 UTC
Next update expected
≈ 9 Oct, 03:55 UTC
Page generated
9 Oct, 03:25 UTC
Astronomy
Computed with astronomy-engine for these coordinates

Computed for 32.716° N, 117.165° W, elevation 20 m, time zone America/Los_Angeles. 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

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.