Is tonight good for stargazing in Maastricht?

Might be worth a look

Partial clearing expected. Keep an eye out.

Maastricht

Tonight's score

6.5

out of 10

Cautious estimate

Models split — score biased toward the cloudier forecast.

Sun ↓ 18:45Dark 20:34–06:1259% cloud, 20:34–06:12

Best 2 hours

10.004:00–06:00

Evening, 21–01

4.121:00–01:00

Best this week

9.4Tue, Oct 20

Parts of the night. The score above covers the whole dark window.

Moon

Waxing Crescent

26% lit

Moon doesn’t interfere — perfect darkness

Moon up: 13:45–20:36

Visible in daylight from 13:45 until sunset

📍 SE · 5°

Full moon: Oct 26

Next good night

Saturday — 9.3

Exceptional night

Sky quality tonight

Best 2 hours: 04:00–06:00

This week’s nights

Europe/Amsterdam

How the score works

60% weight

Cloud cover

Averaged over the whole dark window, layer by layer. Low cloud blocks everything; thin high cirrus still lets bright stars through.

40% weight

Moon darkness

A new moon boosts the score. A bright Moon only costs points while it is actually above the horizon in the dark hours, and more the higher it stands.

Stargazing around Maastricht

Updated 19 September 2026

Maastricht is itself a dark-sky destination.

Darker skies nearby

Sternenpark Nationalpark Eifel
International Dark Sky Park (2014)
58 km as the crow flies
Lauwersmeer National Park Dark Sky Park
International Dark Sky Park (2016)
282 km as the crow flies
De Boschplaat Dark Sky Park (Terschelling)
International Dark Sky Park (2015)
287 km as the crow flies

What you can realistically see from the city

The Moon and the bright planets (Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars when it is close) show up even from a light-polluted centre on a clear night.
Bright stars and constellations are easy. Through binoculars, the Pleiades and the Orion Nebula (winter) still stand out; faint galaxies do not.

Darkness through the year

From about 26 May to 16 July the sun never gets 18° below the horizon, so the sky never becomes fully dark, even at 2 a.m.
Around the winter solstice you get about 12 hours of full darkness.
Nights with 9+ hours of full darkness: October – February.
The bright core of the Milky Way (in Sagittarius) never climbs more than 10° above the southern horizon from Maastricht, so it hides behind haze and buildings.
The summer Milky Way through Cygnus is the one to look for: its brightest star, Deneb, passes 84° high.

Stargazing in Maastricht: questions

When does it get properly dark in Maastricht?

Between about 26 May and 16 July it never gets fully dark. The longest dark nights, around the winter solstice, give about 12 hours of full darkness. Months with 9+ hours: October – February.

Can you see the Milky Way from Maastricht?

From Maastricht's latitude the Milky Way's core peaks at only 10° above the horizon, so the band to look for is the summer Milky Way through Cygnus, which passes 84° high on dark nights from July to October. The nearest designated dark-sky place is Sternenpark Nationalpark Eifel, about 58 km away.

Where is the nearest dark-sky place to Maastricht?

Sternenpark Nationalpark Eifel: International Dark Sky Park (2014), about 58 km as the crow flies.

What is the best time of year for stargazing in Maastricht?

For long, fully dark nights: October – February. Around the winter solstice there are about 12 hours of full darkness. Check the score before you go; clouds decide more than the calendar.