Milky Way Tonight in Salt Lake City
Tonight's verdict for Salt Lake City, Utah, United States — cloud cover, moonlight, sky darkness and the exact window when the galactic core is high enough to see.
Salt Lake CityUtah, United States
NOT A GOOD NIGHT
Clouds, moonlight, or darkness may make viewing difficult.
Best window 16:25–20:25 local time
- Clouds
- UnknownUnknown
- Moonlight
- Moderate48% lit
- Darkness
- ExcellentBortle 3
- Weather
- Weather unavailableDry
The night, hour by hour
The Milky Way climbs highest close to 6:30 PM — up to 20°.
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
- Cloud cover is unknown — the weather feed is unavailable.
- The Moon stays out of the way during the viewing window.
- The sky here is dark enough to see the Milky Way clearly.
- The Milky Way is only briefly visible tonight.
Almanac
| Sunset | 19:10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Darkness begins | 20:40 | astronomical twilight ends |
| Best viewing window | 16:25–20:25 | 0.3 h of usable core |
| Galactic core | peaks 20° above the horizon | usable from 16:25 local |
| Moon | 48% · last quarter | below the horizon all night |
| Sky darkness | Bortle 3 | Rural sky |
| Darkness ends | 06:00 | |
| Sunrise | 07:30 |
Getting somewhere darker
Bortle 1 — unnamed darker area 10 km E of you · you are Bortle 3
Nearest darker sky: Bortle 1, 10 km E.
Weather updated 06:24 local. Calculated 07:44 local time · Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Representative night-sky photograph — not taken at this location.
Milky Way viewing guidance for Salt Lake City
Milky Way visibility questions
Can I see the Milky Way tonight in Salt Lake City?
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 Salt Lake City tonight?
The usable window — galactic core above 15° altitude during darkness, with the Moon not washing it out — runs 16:25–20:25 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 Salt Lake City tonight?
Cloud cover could not be retrieved for this window, and the Moon is 48% illuminated, mostly below the horizon during your window.
How dark is the sky in Salt Lake City?
Salt Lake City is in a Bortle 3 area (Rural sky). A darker option — Bortle 1 — is about 10 km E.