Milky Way Tonight in Edinburgh
Tonight's verdict for Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom — cloud cover, moonlight, sky darkness and the exact window when the galactic core is high enough to see.
EdinburghScotland, United Kingdom
NOT A GOOD NIGHT
Clouds, moonlight, or darkness may make viewing difficult.
Darkness from 20:50, but no usable core window tonight.
- Clouds
- 66%Cloudy
- Moonlight
- Moderate51% lit
- Darkness
- ExcellentBortle 3
- Weather
- OvercastDry · 12°C
The night, hour by hour
The Milky Way climbs highest close to 6:00 PM — up to 5°.
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
- Heavy cloud is the main problem tonight.
- Moderate moonlight (51% 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 | 18:45 | |
|---|---|---|
| Darkness begins | 20:50 | astronomical twilight ends |
| Best viewing window | none usable | |
| Galactic core | peaks 5° above the horizon | never usable tonight |
| Moon | 51% · last quarter | up from 22:15 to 16:40 |
| Sky darkness | Bortle 3 | Rural sky |
| Darkness ends | 05:15 | |
| Sunrise | 07:20 |
Getting somewhere darker
Bortle 1 — unnamed darker area 10 km NE of you · you are Bortle 3
Nearest darker sky: Bortle 1, 10 km NE.
Weather feed is cached from 13:26 local — live numbers resume on the next refresh. Calculated 15:32 local time · Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Representative night-sky photograph — not taken at this location.
Milky Way viewing guidance for Edinburgh
Milky Way visibility questions
Can I see the Milky Way tonight in Edinburgh?
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 are the cloud and Moon conditions in Edinburgh tonight?
Cloud cover in the viewing window averages 66%, and the Moon is 51% illuminated, rising during your viewing window.
How dark is the sky in Edinburgh?
Edinburgh is in a Bortle 3 area (Rural sky). A darker option — Bortle 1 — is about 10 km NE.