Milky Way Tonight in Boston
Tonight's verdict for Boston, Massachusetts, United States — cloud cover, moonlight, sky darkness and the exact window when the galactic core is high enough to see.
BostonMassachusetts, United States
NOT A GOOD NIGHT
Clouds, moonlight, or darkness may make viewing difficult.
Best window 16:00–19:20 local time
- Clouds
- 1%Very clear
- Moonlight
- Moderate49% lit
- Darkness
- ExcellentBortle 3
- Weather
- Clear skiesDry · 11°C
The night, hour by hour
The Milky Way climbs highest close to 5:30 PM — up to 19°.
Next seven nights
No strong night in the week ahead — the bars show how each night compares. Tap a night to redraw everything above.
Why this reading
- Almost no clouds are forecast.
- Moderate moonlight (49% lit) may wash out faint detail.
- The sky here is dark enough to see the Milky Way clearly.
- The bright centre of the Milky Way stays below the horizon tonight.
Almanac
| Sunset | 18:25 | |
|---|---|---|
| Darkness begins | 20:00 | astronomical twilight ends |
| Best viewing window | 16:00–19:20 | 0.0 h of usable core |
| Galactic core | peaks 19° above the horizon | usable from 16:00 local |
| Moon | 49% · last quarter | up from 23:30 to 14:50 |
| Sky darkness | Bortle 3 | Rural sky |
| Darkness ends | 05:15 | |
| Sunrise | 06:45 |
Getting somewhere darker
Bortle 1 — unnamed darker area 30 km E of you · you are Bortle 3
Nearest darker sky: Bortle 1, 30 km E.
Weather updated 08:08 local. Calculated 09:42 local time · Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Representative night-sky photograph — not taken at this location.
Milky Way viewing guidance for Boston
Milky Way visibility questions
Can I see the Milky Way tonight in Boston?
Not tonight. The bright galactic core stays below a usable altitude tonight — this is the wrong part of the year for Milky Way viewing from here. The seven nights ahead are compared on this page.
What time is the Milky Way visible in Boston tonight?
The usable window — galactic core above 15° altitude during darkness, with the Moon not washing it out — runs 16:00–19:20 local time. Outside that window the core is either too low or the sky is too bright.
What are the cloud and Moon conditions in Boston tonight?
Cloud cover in the viewing window averages 1%, and the Moon is 49% illuminated, rising during your viewing window.
How dark is the sky in Boston?
Boston is in a Bortle 3 area (Rural sky). A darker option — Bortle 1 — is about 30 km E.