Milky Way Tonight in Portland
Tonight's verdict for Portland, Oregon, United States — cloud cover, moonlight, sky darkness and the exact window when the galactic core is high enough to see.
PortlandOregon, United States
NOT A GOOD NIGHT
Clouds, moonlight, or darkness may make viewing difficult.
Best window 17:25–18:40 local time
- Clouds
- 46%Partly cloudy
- Moonlight
- Moderate36% lit
- Darkness
- ExcellentBortle 3
- Weather
- OvercastDry · 16°C
The night, hour by hour
The Milky Way climbs highest close to 6:00 PM — up to 15°.
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
- Clouds will come and go.
- Moderate moonlight (36% 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 | 20:25 | astronomical twilight ends |
| Best viewing window | 17:25–18:40 | 0.0 h of usable core |
| Galactic core | peaks 15° above the horizon | usable from 17:25 local |
| Moon | 36% · waning crescent | below the horizon all night |
| Sky darkness | Bortle 3 | Rural sky |
| Darkness ends | 05:35 | |
| Sunrise | 07:15 |
Getting somewhere darker
Bortle 1 — unnamed darker area 20 km SE of you · you are Bortle 3
Nearest darker sky: Bortle 1, 20 km SE.
Weather feed is cached from 05:25 local — live numbers resume on the next refresh. Calculated 10:22 local time · Portland, Oregon, United States
Representative night-sky photograph — not taken at this location.
Milky Way viewing guidance for Portland
Milky Way visibility questions
Can I see the Milky Way tonight in Portland?
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 Portland tonight?
The usable window — galactic core above 15° altitude during darkness, with the Moon not washing it out — runs 17:25–18:40 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 Portland tonight?
Cloud cover in the viewing window averages 46%, and the Moon is 36% illuminated, rising during your viewing window.
How dark is the sky in Portland?
Portland is in a Bortle 3 area (Rural sky). A darker option — Bortle 1 — is about 20 km SE.