An International Dark Sky Park with designated stargazing car parks — and skies that vary with surrounding light pollution.
Calculated for Cap Rock stargazing parking lot (33.960, -116.163)Local time PST (UTC−8)
Stargazing at Cap Rock stargazing parking lotForecast
Go outside now.
Use the remaining part of this window for bright stars; this is not a Milky Way, planet or meteor timing recommendation. Check the latest weather before travelling.
The Tonight engine selects this window because the sky holds clear, the Moon stays below the horizon during this window, and darkness is complete. No earlier remaining scored hours are available for comparison; this does not establish that waiting is better.
Window cloud ≈0%; whole-night mean 0%. Moon altitude in the scored hours: -68°–-2°. Cloud, darkness, Moon altitude and rain affect the timing; a full Moon can remain up throughout.
Go means conditions are usable; Wait is shown only when remaining earlier scored hours support a timing improvement; Later window means there is no demonstrated reason to delay. Neither label ranks places. The window is selected by hourly cloud, darkness, Moon altitude and rain, with whole-night context in the verdict. It is not a guarantee or proof that earlier hours are unusable. Artificial light, terrain, access and personal safety are not scored. The former confidence percentage was an uncalibrated internal heuristic using forecast coverage, cloud variation, rain and score margin — not the probability of clear weather or a successful outing. It is no longer shown here.
Sunset
16:47
Cloud at sunset: no forecast
Full darkness
18:13
Sun 18° below horizon
Best stargazing window
19:00–04:44
Inside astronomical darkness · Tonight engine
Night cloud
0%
Live forecast in use
Moon
5% lit
Waning Crescent · up ≈2% of dark hours
Milky Way core
18:13–18:29
peaks 7° high
Each place has its own forecast and calculation. Go and Wait describe timing, not a ranking of places. Compare the chosen window, not only the whole-night cloud average. Artificial light and access rules are not scored; a place marked “Sky conditions only” is not a visit recommendation.
| Place | Stargazing | Night cloud | Darkness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cap Rock stargazing parking lotOne of four car parks the park designates for stargazing, in the park's central area. | GoSelected window 19:00–04:44. The Tonight engine selects this window because the sky holds clear, the Moon stays below the horizon during this window, and darkness is complete. No earlier remaining scored hours are available for comparison; this does not establish that waiting is better.Scored conditionsWindow cloud ≈0%; whole-night mean 0%. Moon altitude in the scored hours: -68°–-2°. Cloud, darkness, Moon altitude and rain affect the timing; a full Moon can remain up throughout. Live forecast in use. Calculated Fri 6 Nov, 19:05. | 0%Window ≈0% | Full dark from 18:13 |
| Hidden Valley stargazing lotDesignated stargazing car park nearer the west entrance. | GoSelected window 19:00–04:44. The Tonight engine selects this window because the sky holds clear, the Moon stays below the horizon during this window, and darkness is complete. No earlier remaining scored hours are available for comparison; this does not establish that waiting is better.Scored conditionsWindow cloud ≈0%; whole-night mean 0%. Moon altitude in the scored hours: -68°–-2°. Cloud, darkness, Moon altitude and rain affect the timing; a full Moon can remain up throughout. Live forecast in use. Calculated Fri 6 Nov, 19:05. | 0%Window ≈0% | Full dark from 18:13 |
| Cottonwood CampgroundSouthern park; the NPS names it the darkest campground. | GoSelected window 19:00–04:43. The Tonight engine selects this window because the sky holds clear, the Moon stays below the horizon during this window, and darkness is complete. No earlier remaining scored hours are available for comparison; this does not establish that waiting is better.Scored conditionsWindow cloud ≈0%; whole-night mean 0%. Moon altitude in the scored hours: -68°–-2°. Cloud, darkness, Moon altitude and rain affect the timing; a full Moon can remain up throughout. Live forecast in use. Calculated Fri 6 Nov, 19:05. | 0%Window ≈0% | Full dark from 18:11 |
Evening of Fri 6 NovAstronomy
16:47
Sunset
17:13
Civil twilight ends
17:43
Nautical twilight ends
18:13
Astronomical darkness
Astronomical darkness begins at 18:13. Faint-star and Milky Way visibility also depends on cloud, Moon, artificial light and the local horizon. Morning: darkness ends 04:44, sunrise 06:10.
Times in America/Los_Angeles (PST, UTC−8). This zone observes daylight saving time; no change in the next eight days.
Fri 6 NovAstronomy
The Moon is less than 15% lit, so its effect is reduced, not necessarily absent.
Galactic centre in SagittariusAstronomy
The window needs astronomical darkness and the core at least 5° up. Core positions include refraction and are sampled each minute; these are timing estimates, not guaranteed visibility. Hills, trees and town glow near the horizon can still hide it.
Above the horizon vs. easy to seeAstronomy
"Favourable geometry" means at least 10° up while the Sun is 12° or more below the horizon. Cloud, Moon and local obstructions are not included; positions are sampled every 15 minutes.
Tonight · OrionidsForecast
Skip tonight
Rates are approximate modelled estimates, not measured or guaranteed counts. Observing windows use 30-minute samples: any start or end is approximate and may differ by almost 30 minutes from a continuous crossing. Radiants use fixed peak positions; daily radiant drift is not modelled. The model assumes a fixed, moderately dark sky; town light can cut what you see well below these figures.
Coming upAstronomy
Year-specific IMO predictions, not guaranteed or observed peaks. Date-only maxima are not assigned an invented local hour. The rate model above still uses typical annual peak dates and fixed radiant positions; it does not model the published peak ranges or daily radiant drift.
Lowest-cloud evening (weather only): Sat 7 Nov (lowest mean night cloud). The overall recommendation at the top also weighs moonlight and darkness, so it can name a different night. Cloud is shown only where the forecast covers the night. Values come from an eight-day forecast — the later evenings are less certain than the first, so check again close to the date.
| Evening | Sunset | Full dark | Moon | Night cloudForecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 6 Nov | 16:47 | 18:13 | 4% · up ≈2% | 0% |
| Sat 7 NovLowest cloud | 16:47 | 18:12 | 1% · down | 0% |
| Sun 8 Nov | 16:46 | 18:11 | 0% · down | 0% |
| Mon 9 Nov | 16:45 | 18:11 | 1% · down | Beyond forecast |
| Tue 10 Nov | 16:44 | 18:10 | 4% · down | Beyond forecast |
| Wed 11 Nov | 16:44 | 18:09 | 9% · up ≈2% | Beyond forecast |
| Thu 12 Nov | 16:43 | 18:09 | 14% · up ≈9% | Beyond forecast |
| Fri 13 Nov | 16:42 | 18:08 | 22% · up ≈19% | Beyond forecast |
Astronomy only. No weather is given for this selected date. Moon-up percentages are approximate 15-minute samples across astronomical darkness; Milky Way positions include refraction and one-minute sampling, not visibility guarantees.
Astronomy on the 15th of each month — not a weather or climate forecast. Each core window uses astronomical darkness and its stated altitude threshold (10°, or a lower 5°/2° threshold when the core stays low). Low-altitude windows are marginal geometry, not equivalent to a 10° window or a visibility recommendation.Astronomy
| Month | Full darkness | Milky Way core in darkness |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10.9 h | — |
| Feb | 10.2 h | 0.8 h above 10° · up to 16° |
| Mar | 9.2 h | 2.0 h above 10° · up to 24° |
| Apr | 8.0 h | 3.3 h above 10° · up to 27° |
| May | 6.8 h | 4.6 h above 10° · up to 27° |
| Jun | 6.1 h | 6.1 h above 10° · up to 27° |
| Jul | 6.5 h | 4.8 h above 10° · up to 27° |
| Aug | 7.6 h | 3.3 h above 10° · up to 27° |
| Sept | 8.8 h | 2.1 h above 10° · up to 24° |
| Oct | 9.9 h | 0.8 h above 10° · up to 17° |
| Nov | 10.7 h | 0.1 h above 2° · up to 3° |
| Dec | 11.1 h | — |
Sources are linked below. Tourism descriptions do not confirm current access, closures or safety. Sky calculations use an ideal horizon, not local mountain or building profiles.
Joshua Tree is an International Dark Sky Park and offers some of Southern California's darkest nights, but the park notes that surrounding communities still add light pollution, so darkness varies across the park.
Source: National Park Service — Joshua Tree National ParkThe park designates the Quail Springs, Hidden Valley, Cap Rock and Ryan Mountain parking lots for stargazing. Stay awake and within 20 feet (6 m) of your vehicle. Day Use Only areas close from dusk to dawn; roadside and parking-lot overnight camping is prohibited.
Source: National Park Service — Joshua Tree National ParkFor an overnight trip built around darkness, the NPS says Cottonwood Campground has the darkest skies of the park's campgrounds.
Source: National Park Service — Joshua Tree National ParkThe park says the Milky Way is at its best on a moonless summer night, while winter gives early darkness. Its approximate 5 p.m. description is not an astronomical-darkness boundary; use the calculated time for your date.
Source: National Park Service — Joshua Tree National ParkJoshua Tree National Park never closes. If the entrance stations are unstaffed when you arrive, the NPS says to proceed and pay on the way out if they are open.
Source: National Park Service — Joshua Tree National ParkIt takes 20–30 minutes for eyes to adjust to the dark; use a red light. Most areas have no running water, and desert temperatures drop quickly after sunset.
Source: National Park Service — Joshua Tree National ParkWhy this calculation point: One of four car parks the park designates for stargazing, in the park's central area.
Forecast fetched Fri 6 Nov, 19:06 local time · weather: Live forecast in use. Astronomy: astronomy-engine, twilight on the geometric Sun (USNO convention), times rounded to the nearest minute.
