What time should I go outside tonight?

The best window is between the end of astronomical twilight and moonrise (or moonset, if the Moon is already up). Times shown on this page are computed for your saved location and your device's timezone.

Do I need a telescope?

No. The Moon, planets, ISS passes, meteors and the Milky Way core are all naked-eye. Binoculars help for the Moon and Jupiter's moons; a small telescope opens Saturn's rings and Mars' polar cap.

Why are some events missing tonight?

Events only appear when the object is above your horizon during dark hours. In summer at high latitudes some events are skipped because the sky never gets fully dark.

Can I add an event to my calendar?

Yes — every timed event has an 'Add to calendar' link that generates a standard .ics file you can open in Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook.

How accurate are the times?

Sun, Moon and planet times use the same ephemeris (astronomy-engine) that professional planetariums rely on; the error is under one minute for any point on Earth. ISS times depend on the most recent orbital element data and are accurate to a few seconds.

GOTonight in Oslo, Norway · Thursday, August 2767/100 · Good · 66% confidence

Excellent conditions between 00:00 and 01:00.

Take the window from 00:00 to 01:00 — that's the whole of tonight's chance.

Cloud cover

67%

Moon

100% lit

Darkness begins

00:00

Best window

00:00–01:00

Reasonably solid, but conditions could shift. Forecast thins out before dawn · Cloud cover is unsettled · The call sits right on the tipping point

Broken cloud, 67% night average
Sky opens after 00:00
Bright Moon (100%) washes out faint objects
Only 2.6 h of full darkness

Excellent conditions between 00:00 and 01:00. Take the window from 00:00 to 01:00 — that's the whole of tonight's chance. Cloud cover across tonight's dark hours averages 67%. Astronomical darkness begins at 00:00 and holds until 02:39. The Moon is 100% illuminated. Best window: 00:00–01:00.

Oslo, Norway

Tonight's sky timeline

Every moment worth stepping outside for — in your local time.

Cloud begins to break after 00:00 and improves progressively later, the overnight low sits near 16 °C (60 °F) — a light layer is enough. The Moon is 100% full moon — excellent to observe in its own right, but its light seriously limits the Milky Way, meteor counts and deep-sky contrast. True astronomical darkness holds for 2.6 hours, from 00:00 to 02:39.

If you have one hour tonight, spend it between 00:00 and 01:00 — that's when everything lines up best. Binoculars will show real detail on the biggest planets tonight; a small telescope opens the door completely. Cloud begins to break after 00:00; check the hourly forecast for when it becomes mostly clear.

Astronomical darkness: 2.6h
Moon: 100%
Cloud cover: 67%

The shape of tonight

Astro darkMoon upCloud cover

Best hour tonight

00:00–01:00Best hour score 86/100

The single strongest window tonight — skies clearest, full astronomical darkness.

Tonight vs. the next seven nights

Tonight is the best night this week. Waiting won't improve it.

Tonight68★Good
Tomorrow4Rain in the window
Saturday18Cloudy, 98%
Sunday37Moon 94% · astronomy only
Monday41Moon 88% · astronomy only
Tuesday45Moon 80% · astronomy only
Wednesday50Moon 70% · astronomy only

Scores blend cloud forecast with darkness and moonlight. Nights past the forecast horizon are rated on astronomy alone and shown dimmed. Best night: Tonight ★★★★☆

What tonight is good for

Tonight suits nothing in particular.

Why this verdict

From Oslo, Norway (59.91°N, 10.75°E) on 27 August 2026, cloud begins to break after 00:00 and improves progressively afterward.

Cloud begins to break after 00:00 and improves progressively afterward.

What decides tonight

Cloud begins to break after 00:00 and improves progressively. Treat that as a trend, not a promise of instantly clear sky.

Supporting and opposing forces

A bright Moon holds through the night, so plan around it or lean into lunar observing. Darkness is short — 2.6 hours — so the good window is narrow. Also on the schedule: between the clouds, Mars is the one worth catching. If you only have one hour, the window between 00:00 and 01:00 is the pick.

How much to trust this

Confidence is solid but not perfect (66%): Reasonably solid, but conditions could shift. Expect the verdict to hold, but keep half an eye on the actual sky before you commit — small forecast shifts can trim the good window.

What to actually do

The practical version: dress warm, step outside between 00:00 and 01:00, and let your eyes adapt for at least fifteen minutes. That's when tonight pays back the effort.

20:24
Moonrise
100% illuminated. Deep-sky viewing becomes harder from here on.
Add to calendar
20:35
Sunset
The Sun crosses the horizon; blue hour begins.
21:28
Civil twilight ends
Sky darkens; brightest stars and planets appear.
22:30
Nautical twilight ends
Horizon fades — most constellations become visible.
00:00
Astronomical darkness begins
The sky reaches its darkest state of the night — best for the Milky Way and deep-sky objects.
02:39
Astronomical dawn begins
First hint of scattered sunlight — deep-sky window closes.
03:25
ISS visible pass
Duration 4 min · max altitude 14°.
Add to calendar
03:50
Saturn at best altitude
33° above the south — the highest, sharpest view tonight.
Look south Add to calendar
05:00
ISS visible pass
Duration 5 min · max altitude 20°.
Add to calendar
05:50
Mars at best altitude
36° above the east — the highest, sharpest view tonight.
Look east Add to calendar
05:50
Jupiter at best altitude
15° above the east — the highest, sharpest view tonight.
Look east Add to calendar
06:02
Sunrise
The Sun returns and the night is over.
06:10
Moonset
The Moon leaves the sky; deep-sky darkness returns if before dawn.

What to bring tonight

Tuned to tonight's temperature, wind and what you'll actually be looking at. Nothing exotic — just what makes standing outside for an hour feel effortless.

A long sleeve
Comfortable — but bring one anyway for late in the night.
Windbreak
Choose a spot behind a treeline or building.
A dark spot
Get away from direct streetlights; your own shadow shouldn't be visible.
A hot drink
The best decision you'll make all night.

How to use tonight's timeline

The strongest viewing usually starts once the Sun is more than 12° below the horizon (the end of nautical twilight) and ends either at moonrise, moonset, or the first hint of dawn — whichever comes first. If a bright Moon is up, that window still works beautifully for planets, the ISS, and the Moon itself.

If you have a single hour tonight, spend it on the top-listed planet or on the next ISS pass. If you have three hours and dark skies, try the Milky Way core once astronomical darkness begins.

Check the score and note the best viewing window listed above.
Dress warmer than you think you need — you'll be still for a while.
Get away from direct light sources; give your eyes 15–20 minutes to adapt.
Face the compass direction listed for tonight's signature event.
Use a red flashlight, not white, to preserve your night vision.

Frequently asked questions

Tonight in detail

The numbers behind tonight

Everything computed from your saved location and today's date — twilight times to the minute, twilight durations, moon and planet basics.

Astronomical figures for Oslo, Norway tonight
Metric	Value
Sunset	20:35
Civil twilight ends	21:28
Nautical twilight ends	22:30
Astronomical twilight ends	00:00
Astronomical dawn begins	02:39
Sunrise	06:02
Civil twilight duration	53 min
Nautical twilight duration	62 min
Astronomical twilight duration	90 min
Moonrise	20:24
Moonset	06:10
Moon illumination	100%
Moon phase	Full Moon
Planets above the horizon	3
ISS passes tonight	2

Seven nights ahead

The week ahead from your location

A quick planner — moon phase, moonrise, moonset and how many hours of true astronomical darkness each night gives you.

Astronomical outlook for the next seven nights
Date	Moon	Phase	Moonrise	Moonset	Dark hours
Aug 27	100%	Full Moon	20:24	06:10	2.6 h
Aug 28	100%	Full Moon	20:24	07:40	2.8 h
Aug 29	98%	Full Moon	20:23	09:11	3.1 h
Aug 30	94%	Waning Gibbous	20:23	10:45	3.3 h
Aug 31	88%	Waning Gibbous	20:23	12:24	3.4 h
Sep 1	80%	Waning Gibbous	20:25	—	3.7 h
Sep 2	70%	Waning Gibbous	20:29	14:09	3.8 h

Glossary

Terms used on this page

Every astronomy term that shows up in tonight's timeline, defined once in plain language.

Altitude: Angle above the horizon, from 0° at the horizon to 90° at the zenith.
Azimuth: Compass direction along the horizon, from 0° (north) through 90° (east), 180° (south) and 270° (west).
Magnitude: How bright an object appears. Lower is brighter — Sirius is −1.4, the faintest naked-eye star is around +6.
Transit / culmination: The moment an object crosses your local meridian and reaches its highest point in the sky.
Kp index: A 0–9 scale of global geomagnetic activity. Higher Kp pushes the aurora further from the poles.
ZHR: Zenithal Hourly Rate — the meteors per hour an observer would count under a perfect dark sky with the radiant overhead.

Questions answered on this page

Should I go outside tonight in Oslo, Norway?
What time does it get properly dark tonight?
Is the Moon up during the dark hours tonight?
Which single hour tonight is the best one?
Is there an ISS pass tonight, and where do I look?
How does tonight compare with the rest of the week?
How confident is the forecast for tonight?

Where these numbers come from

Tonight's figures are computed for Oslo, Norway at page load from the sources below.

Hourly cloud cover, precipitation, humidity and visibility forecastsOpen-Meteo forecast and archive APIOpen-Meteo
Ten-year cloud-cover climatology and historical night rankingERA5 reanalysisECMWF / Copernicus Climate Change Service
Sun, Moon and planet positions, rise and set times, twilight phasesAstronomy Engine (VSOP87 / ELP2000 series)Don Cross, after the IMCCE and JPL analytical theories
ISS orbital elements (TLE), propagated locally with SGP4CelesTrak / NORAD two-line elementsCelesTrak, from US Space Force tracking data
Definitions of civil, nautical and astronomical twilight, and lunar phase conventionsAstronomical Applications DepartmentUnited States Naval Observatory

Figures on this page last recomputed 2026-08-27.

Keep exploring tonight's sky

Times shown in your device's local time. Visibility depends on local weather, terrain and light pollution.Data sources & methodology

Tonight's sky timeline

What decides tonight

Supporting and opposing forces

How much to trust this

What to actually do

Moonrise

Sunset

Civil twilight ends

Nautical twilight ends

Astronomical darkness begins

Astronomical dawn begins

ISS visible pass

Saturn at best altitude