Sunset on the waterfront, then a low-latitude sky — with the darkest options well outside town.
Calculated for Key West waterfront (Mallory Square area) (24.559, -81.808)Local time EST (UTC−5)
Stargazing at Key West waterfront (Mallory Square area)Forecast
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, Moonlight doesn't affect the best viewing window. No earlier remaining scored hours are available for comparison; this does not establish that waiting is better.
Window cloud ≈7%; whole-night mean 7%. Moon altitude in the scored hours: -77°–5°. 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
17:44
Cloud at sunset: no forecast
Full darkness
19:02
Sun 18° below horizon
Best stargazing window
22:00–05:20
Inside astronomical darkness · Tonight engine
Night cloud
7%
Live forecast in use
Moon
5% lit
Waning Crescent · up ≈2% of dark hours
Milky Way core
19:02–19:17
peaks 13° 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Key West waterfront (Mallory Square area)The waterfront sunset reference. Town lighting is a separate visibility limitation; it is not measured or included in the stargazing score. | GoSelected window 22:00–05:20. The Tonight engine selects this window because the sky holds clear, Moonlight doesn't affect the best viewing window. No earlier remaining scored hours are available for comparison; this does not establish that waiting is better.Scored conditionsWindow cloud ≈7%; whole-night mean 7%. Moon altitude in the scored hours: -77°–5°. Cloud, darkness, Moon altitude and rain affect the timing; a full Moon can remain up throughout. Live forecast in use. Calculated Fri 6 Nov, 22:05. | 7%Window ≈7% | Full dark from 19:02 |
| Garden Key, Dry Tortugas National ParkRemote overnight option; ferries, permitted guides or private vessels carry campers, not seaplanes. | GoSelected window 22:00–05:24. The Tonight engine selects this window because the sky holds clear, Moonlight doesn't affect the best viewing window. No earlier remaining scored hours are available for comparison; this does not establish that waiting is better.Scored conditionsWindow cloud ≈9%; whole-night mean 9%. Moon altitude in the scored hours: -77°–4°. Cloud, darkness, Moon altitude and rain affect the timing; a full Moon can remain up throughout. Live forecast in use. Calculated Fri 6 Nov, 22:05. | 9%Window ≈9% | Full dark from 19:06 |
| Scout Key (Winter Star Party grounds)Lower Keys event site; registration required during the event. | Sky conditions only — check accessSky window 23:00–05:18. The Tonight engine selects this window because the sky holds clear, Moonlight doesn't affect the best viewing window. Compared with earlier remaining scored hours: less cloud (≈38% earlier → ≈9% in the window). Earlier observing is not ruled out.Scored conditionsWindow cloud ≈9%; whole-night mean 13%. Moon altitude in the scored hours: -71°–5°. Cloud, darkness, Moon altitude and rain affect the timing; a full Moon can remain up throughout. Live forecast in use. Calculated Fri 6 Nov, 22:05. | 13%Window ≈9% | Full dark from 19:00 |
Evening of Fri 6 NovAstronomy
17:44
Sunset
18:08
Civil twilight ends
18:35
Nautical twilight ends
19:02
Astronomical darkness
Astronomical darkness begins at 19:02. Faint-star and Milky Way visibility also depends on cloud, Moon, artificial light and the local horizon. Morning: darkness ends 05:20, sunrise 06:38.
Times in America/New_York (EST, UTC−5). 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 10° 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 | 17:44 | 19:02 | 4% · up ≈2% | 7% |
| Sat 7 NovLowest cloud | 17:44 | 19:02 | 1% · down | 6% |
| Sun 8 Nov | 17:43 | 19:01 | 0% · down | 43% |
| Mon 9 Nov | 17:43 | 19:01 | 1% · down | Beyond forecast |
| Tue 10 Nov | 17:42 | 19:00 | 4% · down | Beyond forecast |
| Wed 11 Nov | 17:42 | 19:00 | 8% · up ≈5% | Beyond forecast |
| Thu 12 Nov | 17:41 | 19:00 | 14% · up ≈12% | Beyond forecast |
| Fri 13 Nov | 17:41 | 19:00 | 21% · up ≈21% | 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 | 10.6 h | 0.3 h above 2° · up to 5° |
| Feb | 10.1 h | 1.4 h above 10° · up to 23° |
| Mar | 9.5 h | 2.8 h above 10° · up to 33° |
| Apr | 8.6 h | 4.3 h above 10° · up to 36° |
| May | 7.8 h | 5.8 h above 10° · up to 36° |
| Jun | 7.4 h | 7.4 h above 10° · up to 36° |
| Jul | 7.6 h | 6.0 h above 10° · up to 36° |
| Aug | 8.3 h | 4.3 h above 10° · up to 36° |
| Sept | 9.2 h | 2.9 h above 10° · up to 34° |
| Oct | 9.9 h | 1.4 h above 10° · up to 24° |
| Nov | 10.4 h | 0.2 h above 5° · up to 7° |
| Dec | 10.7 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.
Mallory Square hosts a nightly waterfront Sunset Celebration, with performers starting about two hours before sunset. Choose it for the sunset event; this tourism listing does not assess faint-star visibility.
Source: Florida Keys & Key West tourism boardThe Winter Star Party is held at Scout camps on Scout Key, around mile marker 34 — not in Key West itself. The tourism board points to the Keys' southern location and relative lack of large-scale artificial lighting as the attraction.
Source: Florida Keys & Key West tourism boardThe Winter Star Party is open to the public as well as society members, but the cited 2025 event required advance registration. Check current organiser rules before visiting; this is not unrestricted public observing ground.
Source: Florida Keys & Key West tourism boardThe National Park Service lists stargazing among the reasons to camp on Garden Key in Dry Tortugas National Park. It is a remote overnight excursion, not an evening outing from town.
Source: National Park Service — Dry Tortugas National ParkCampers can reach Garden Key only by private vessel, permitted guide or the commercial ferry; ferry camping places are limited and can sell out months ahead, and the seaplane does not carry campers.
Source: National Park Service — Dry Tortugas National ParkWhy this calculation point: The waterfront sunset reference. Town lighting is a separate visibility limitation; it is not measured or included in the stargazing score.
Forecast fetched Fri 6 Nov, 22:06 local time · weather: Live forecast in use. Astronomy: astronomy-engine, twilight on the geometric Sun (USNO convention), times rounded to the nearest minute.
