Is tonight good for stargazing in Stuttgart?

Not worth it tonight

Clouds will block the view. Stay inside.

Stuttgart

Tonight's score

0.8

out of 10

Sun ↓ 17:13Dark 18:59–05:1580% cloud, 18:59–05:15

Best 2 hours

1.923:00–01:00

Evening, 21–01

0.721:00–01:00

Best this week

7.4Sun, Nov 1

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

Moon

Full Moon

99% lit

Very bright — stick to planets and the moon itself

Moon up: 16:53–08:54

Visible in daylight from 16:53 until sunset

Next good night

Friday — 7.2

Good night

Sky quality tonight

Best 2 hours: 23:00–01:00

This week’s nights

Europe/Berlin

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 Stuttgart

Updated 19 September 2026

Darker skies nearby

Sternenpark Rhön
International Dark Sky Reserve (2014)
203 km as the crow flies
Sternenpark Winklmoosalm
International Dark Sky Park (2018)
281 km as the crow flies
Sternenpark Nationalpark Eifel
International Dark Sky Park (2014)
285 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.
The Milky Way is not visible from central Stuttgart; you need a dark site outside the city.

Darkness through the year

From about 13 June to 28 June 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 11.9 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 12° above the southern horizon from Stuttgart, so it hides behind haze and buildings.
The summer Milky Way through Cygnus is the one to look for: its brightest star, Deneb, passes 87° high.

Stargazing in Stuttgart: questions

When does it get properly dark in Stuttgart?

Between about 13 June and 28 June it never gets fully dark. The longest dark nights, around the winter solstice, give about 11.9 hours of full darkness. Months with 9+ hours: October – February.

Can you see the Milky Way from Stuttgart?

Not from the city centre. From Stuttgart's latitude the Milky Way's core peaks at only 12° above the horizon, so the band to look for is the summer Milky Way through Cygnus, which passes 87° high on dark nights from July to October. The nearest designated dark-sky place is Sternenpark Rhön, about 203 km away.

Where is the nearest dark-sky place to Stuttgart?

Sternenpark Rhön: International Dark Sky Reserve (2014), about 203 km as the crow flies.

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

For long, fully dark nights: October – February. Around the winter solstice there are about 11.9 hours of full darkness. Check the score before you go; clouds decide more than the calendar.