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SKY · MILKY WAY · UK

Can You See the Milky Way from London?

Good news for London: tonight the galactic core climbs to about 10° above the southern horizon in a dark sky. With dark skies and no Moon, the bright heart of the Milky Way is on show.

GALACTIC CORE TONIGHT · LONDON
VerdictGood — core well clear of the horizon
Core height10° up
Look towardsouthern sky
Best by1:33 AM
MoonLast Quarter · 49%

Core altitude computed for London (51.5°, -0.1°) during tonight's dark hours.

Milky Way season & the Moon for London

Core season hereThe galactic core barely clears the horizon here at any time of year.
Dark by11:13 PM
Until4:48 AM

A modest Moon — bright planets and constellations are fine, faint detail less so.

The Milky Way is faint and easily lost to light pollution and moonlight. Even when the core is high, you need a genuinely dark sky — well away from city lights — and ideally a night near the new Moon to see it well from London.

London right now

SKY · TONIGHTEverything up over London tonightEARTH · WEATHERClouds & conditions over LondonSKY · LIVE MAPThe night side over London

A dark, cloudless sky is everything for the Milky Way — a quick check of tonight's cloud cover for Londontells you whether it's worth the trip out of town.

More sky over London

SKY · LIVEThe Moon tonight — LondonSKY · LIVEConstellations visible tonight — LondonSKY · LIVEMeteor showers tonight — LondonSKY · LIVEGalactic core season — how it works

Milky Way visibility nearby

USASee the Milky Way — New YorkUSASee the Milky Way — Los AngelesUSASee the Milky Way — ChicagoUSASee the Milky Way — Houston

SEE IT ON THE MAP

The live sky map shows the day/night line over London in real time.

Open the live sky map →