GoodSeeing Guides
Home › Locations › New York City
Tonight · Sat, 10 October 2026

New York City stargazing forecast tonight

Hourly clear-sky conditions for observing: cloud by layer, transparency, estimated seeing, moonlight and true astronomical darkness.

40.714°N 74.006°W ·57 m ·New York, United States

NearbyQueensUnionLivingstonPort ChesterMore nearby
56
/100
Good conditions
at peak

Worth setting up — 3 hours of workable sky from 20:00.

Site darkness · peer measure
Bright urban skyNot multiplied into the conditions score
17.4–18.2 mag/arcsec²

The score describes tonight’s conditions. Site darkness helps you choose what to observe.

See target outlook ↓Planet observing times →
Best months at New York City, New York →Moonless nights →
Tonight in context · local sky & season

October historically: 8.6 qualifying nights/month on average (2005–2024). Regional cloud and darkness history, not tonight’s probability or a comparison with the conditions score.

A qualifying historical night has at least 3 hours of astronomical darkness and mean nighttime cloud ≤30%. This does not measure steady air or target visibility. Seasonal history →

Saturn: about 8.3h above 20° during this observing night’s darkness. Longest sampled dark-time opportunity among our four planet targets; not a weather ranking. Planet times →

Position calculations use roughly 20-minute samples. Clouds, skyglow and local obstructions still matter. Milky Way timing →

Best window
20:00 – 23:00
Window quality
46 / 100 avg
Astronomical dark
20:00 – 06:00
Moon
New moon, 1%
Transparency at peak
0.27
Seeing at peak (est.)
0.88
Visual limit (modelled)
2.0–4.0 mag
Tonight's limiting factor
Transparency

Transparency 0.27 — haze and water vapour will cost you the faintest targets. What this means →

Also limiting: Thin high cloud. See the guide →

The night, hour by hour

Colour = score · Luminance = everything else
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
5
39
42
56
34
31
30
30
24
24
3
6
Score
BEST WINDOW · 4 H
Low cloud
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Mid cloud
0%
0%
0%
0%
2%
0%
0%
0%
0%
22%
20%
99%
70%
78%
High cloud
100%
100%
87%
75%
33%
90%
97%
99%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
94%
Transparency
0.67
0.53
0.42
0.34
0.27
0.24
0.25
0.25
0.25
0.25
0.23
0.19
0.16
0.15
Seeing
0.84
0.88
0.87
0.88
0.88
0.88
0.84
0.84
0.81
0.80
0.74
0.75
0.72
0.68
Moon clear
0%
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
18
19
20
21
22
23
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
Inspect

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Score inspectorWhy this hour scored what it did Open peakClose
22 Good · 56/100
Starting from
100
Cloud
−19
Transparency
−23
Seeing
−2
Moonlight
−0
Darkness
−0
Score
56
CLOUD 33% LOW 0% MID 2% HIGH 33% SUN -40.3° MOON -41.6° / 0% WIND 3 TEMP 15°
Excellent 75+ Good 55+ Fair 35+ Poor 15+ Not worth it Seeing is estimated from surface wind — see how we score.

What can you actually do tonight?

This is GoodSeeing’s decision layer: the same forecast is weighted for your target and site darkness. Planetary work barely cares about moonlight; long exposures can fail on high cloud a visual observer would barely notice. Your choice is remembered on this device and becomes the default for new alert rules.

NO USABLE WINDOW FOR THIS TARGET TONIGHT

Darkness and moonlight dominate. Faint fuzzies need a genuinely dark sky more than they need steady air.

18202200020406
SITE GLOW LIMITS THIS TARGET
SET UP 19:30 · OBSERVE 20:00–01:00 · 5H · MEAN 45

Seeing is everything and moonlight is irrelevant. Bright targets punch through twilight, so darkness barely counts.

18202200020406
ASTRONOMICAL DARK FROM 20:00MOONLIGHT IGNORED FOR THIS TARGET
NO USABLE WINDOW FOR THIS TARGET TONIGHT

Tolerates soft seeing, but high cloud wrecks a wide frame and moonlight raises the background everywhere.

18202200020406
SITE GLOW LIMITS THIS TARGET
NO USABLE WINDOW FOR THIS TARGET TONIGHT

Needs conditions to hold still for hours. Sustained transparency matters more than any single good hour.

18202200020406
SITE GLOW LIMITS THIS TARGET
NO USABLE WINDOW FOR THIS TARGET TONIGHT

Naked eye, whole sky. Total cloud and moonlight are the only things that count.

18202200020406
SITE GLOW LIMITS THIS TARGET

Deep-sky visual is your current default.

A darker option

Cherry Springs State Park

336 km away · Threatened dark sky · 21.6–21.8 mag/arcsec²

25conditions tonight
See the trade-off →
Latest verified night · 2026-10-08

Prediction, meet observation.

All comparisons →
10 matches0 discrepanciesSatellite saw 3.5 points more cloud.
GOES cloud mask · ~13h referenceThe cloud call matched every sampled dark hour.Cloud only · 10 astronomically dark hours

Recent cloud comparisons · 30 recorded nights →

The next week of nights

Tonight · 10 Oct
56
Good
MOON 1%
20:00–23:00
Tomorrow · 11 Oct
0
Not worth it

Cloud or fog is the strongest score limit at the best sampled time.

MOON 3%
Monday · 12 Oct
66
Good
MOON 6%
20:00–03:00
Tuesday · 13 Oct
63
Good
MOON 13%
02:00–03:00
Wednesday · 14 Oct
72
Good
MOON 21%
20:00–21:00
Thursday · 15 Oct
84
Excellent
MOON 29%
20:00–21:00
Friday · 16 Oct
61
Good
MOON 37%
02:00–03:00

Open a night for its forecast times. Later forecasts may have wider time steps; missing hours are not interpolated.

Tonight · 10 Oct · forecast times
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
5
39
42
56
34
31
30
30
24
24
3
6
Score
Low cloud
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Mid cloud
0%
0%
0%
0%
2%
0%
0%
0%
0%
22%
20%
99%
70%
78%
High cloud
100%
100%
87%
75%
33%
90%
97%
99%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
94%
Transparency
0.67
0.53
0.42
0.34
0.27
0.24
0.25
0.25
0.25
0.25
0.23
0.19
0.16
0.15
Seeing
0.84
0.88
0.87
0.88
0.88
0.88
0.84
0.84
0.81
0.80
0.74
0.75
0.72
0.68
Moon clear
0%
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
18
19
20
21
22
23
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Tomorrow · 11 Oct · forecast times
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
Score
Low cloud
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
Mid cloud
100%
100%
100%
100%
99%
100%
95%
48%
68%
56%
16%
56%
31%
20%
High cloud
100%
98%
98%
97%
48%
39%
55%
78%
68%
56%
1%
0%
2%
41%
Transparency
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
Seeing
0.41
0.38
0.37
0.42
0.49
0.59
0.64
0.61
0.64
0.60
0.60
0.64
0.65
0.57
Moon clear
2%
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
18
19
20
21
22
23
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Monday · 12 Oct · forecast times
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
10
65
66
66
63
62
64
64
Score
Low cloud
3%
16%
6%
6%
2%
1%
0%
0%
0%
69%
Mid cloud
0%
4%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
High cloud
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
5%
6%
0%
1%
0%
Transparency
0.36
0.29
0.27
0.25
0.19
0.13
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
Seeing
0.87
0.88
0.94
0.98
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
Moon clear
6%
6%
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
18
19
20
21
22
23
00
01
02
08

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Tuesday · 13 Oct · forecast times
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
37
63
Score
Low cloud
0%
0%
0%
6%
Mid cloud
12%
45%
2%
8%
High cloud
0%
9%
0%
0%
Transparency
0.30
0.22
0.18
0.10
Seeing
0.93
0.83
0.84
0.91
Moon clear
10%
down
down
down
14
20
02
08

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Wednesday · 14 Oct · forecast times
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
72
67
Score
Low cloud
33%
2%
2%
12%
Mid cloud
0%
1%
0%
2%
High cloud
0%
0%
0%
0%
Transparency
0.63
0.45
0.26
0.47
Seeing
0.89
0.79
0.88
0.77
Moon clear
17%
19%
down
down
14
20
02
08

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Thursday · 15 Oct · forecast times
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
84
70
Score
Low cloud
5%
0%
0%
0%
Mid cloud
0%
0%
0%
0%
High cloud
1%
5%
15%
88%
Transparency
0.92
0.74
0.41
0.18
Seeing
0.76
0.85
1.00
1.00
Moon clear
24%
27%
down
down
14
20
02
08

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Friday · 16 Oct · forecast times
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
60
61
Score
Low cloud
0%
0%
13%
39%
Mid cloud
0%
1%
2%
4%
High cloud
29%
33%
0%
0%
Transparency
0.74
0.45
0.44
0.47
Seeing
0.83
0.82
0.66
0.72
Moon clear
33%
35%
down
down
14
20
02
08

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Planning a trip?

Compare the next eight weekends → · Best months to visit → · Moonless nights →

More nearby locations 8 options · openclose

About this forecast

Exact-coordinate weather, sky geometry and site context.

Full method →20-year baseline →
Sources and scoring details openclose

Conditions for New York City, New York, United States are computed from the MET Norway forecast model for these exact coordinates, combined with sun and moon positions we calculate directly. The score weighs cloud cover by layer, atmospheric transparency, estimated seeing, moonlight and astronomical twilight. Site darkness is shown separately, then used only where artificial skyglow physically changes moon contrast, haze scattering, visual limits and target suitability.