Weather tools · Night sky

Night sky over Connecticut tonight

The Moon, tonight's clouds and the meteor shower calendar: find the best nights for stargazing.

clear sky 44° clear skyNow

Waning gibbousAbout 84% illuminated

Tonight's stargazing score 62/100 Fairly good, some passing clouds
Average cloud
19%
Chance of rain
0%
Moonrise
8:21 PM
Moonset
11:42 AM

Hourly cloud cover tonight in Connecticut

0% 7pm
0% 8pm
0% 9pm
0% 10pm
8% 11pm
11% 12am
32% 1am
41% 2am
64% 3am
34% 4am

The lower the bar, the clearer the sky. Pick the least cloudy hours, stay away from street lights and give your eyes about 20 minutes to adjust to the dark.

Moon phase for the next 8 nights

Today Oct 29 Waning gibbous Rises 8:21 PM · Cloud 0%
Tomorrow Oct 30 Waning gibbous Rises 9:33 PM · Cloud 12%
Sat Oct 31 Waning gibbous Rises 10:50 PM · Cloud 25%
Sun Nov 1 Last quarter Rises 11:06 PM · Cloud 0%
Mon Nov 2 Waning crescent Rises – · Cloud 51%
Tue Nov 3 Waning crescent Rises 12:19 AM · Cloud 56%
Wed Nov 4 Waning crescent Rises 1:30 AM · Cloud 100%
Thu Nov 5 Waning crescent Rises 2:38 AM · Cloud 100%

Meteor shower calendar

Every year
Next meteor shower Leonids

Peaks on the night of Nov 17–18 · about 15 meteors/hour under ideal skies · Leo, before dawn.

Peak night: waxing gibbous (60% illuminated), so dark skies should make for good viewing.

19days to go
Meteor showerPeakMeteors/hrWhere to look
QuadrantidsJan 3–4110Boötes, before dawn
LyridsApr 22–2318Lyra, after midnight
Eta AquariidsMay 5–650Aquarius, before dawn
PerseidsAug 12–13100Perseus, after 11 PM
OrionidsOct 21–2220Orion, after midnight
LeonidsNov 17–1815Leo, before dawn
GeminidsDec 13–14150Gemini, all night
UrsidsDec 22–2310Ursa Minor, before dawn

Peak dates can shift by a day from year to year. The meteors-per-hour figure (ZHR) assumes perfectly dark skies; in cities you will usually see only a small fraction.

Stargazing tips for Connecticut

  • Choose a night near the new moon, or wait until the Moon has set, with cloud cover below 30%.
  • Head away from built-up areas to hills, highlands or a beach with few lights.
  • No telescope needed: meteor showers are best seen with the naked eye, which takes in the whole sky.
  • Bring insect repellent and a light jacket; dim your phone screen or switch to red-light mode so your eyes stay dark-adapted.