Weather tools · Night sky

Night sky over Ohio tonight

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

clear sky 49° clear skyNow

Waning gibbousAbout 84% illuminated

Tonight's stargazing score 49/100 Cloudy, poor stargazing
Average cloud
37%
Chance of rain
0%
Moonrise
9:12 PM
Moonset
12:17 PM

Hourly cloud cover tonight in Ohio

9% 7pm
6% 8pm
18% 9pm
28% 10pm
56% 11pm
100% 12am
42% 1am
100% 2am
12% 3am
1% 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 9:12 PM · Cloud 1%
Tomorrow Oct 30 Waning gibbous Rises 10:23 PM · Cloud 2%
Sat Oct 31 Waning gibbous Rises 11:39 PM · Cloud 100%
Sun Nov 1 Last quarter Rises 11:54 PM · Cloud 81%
Mon Nov 2 Waning crescent Rises – · Cloud 95%
Tue Nov 3 Waning crescent Rises 1:05 AM · Cloud 100%
Wed Nov 4 Waning crescent Rises 2:14 AM · Cloud 100%
Thu Nov 5 Waning crescent Rises 3:21 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 Ohio

  • 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.