SKY · STARGAZING · USA
Is Tonight Good for Stargazing in Chicago?
The sky is forecast to stay overcast through tonight's dark hours (about 96% cloud), so there's little chance of seeing the stars wherever the Moon is.
TONIGHT'S VERDICT · CHICAGO
VerdictOvercast — not a stargazing night
Night cloud96%
MoonLast Quarter · 49%
Dark from8:24 PM
Until5:15 AM
Worth looking for: Little to nothing — try again on a clearer night.
Live cloud reading
READING TONIGHT'S SKY…
How dark is the sky over Chicago?
Sky class (estimate)Bortle 9 · Inner-city sky
A vast, flat light dome — the lakefront core is Bortle 8–9.
Even on the clearest, Moonless night, a bright city sky limits what you can see. For the Milky Way and faint stars from Chicago, you'll want to reach a darker site — see the options below.
Darker skies within reach of Chicago
~2.5 HR DRIVE SOUTHMiddle Fork River Forest Preserve, ILIDA-certified Dark Sky Park, the first in Illinois.
Dark-sky designations from the International Dark-Sky Association and well-recognised dark regions. Always check access, opening hours and the weather before travelling.
Chicago right now
More sky over Chicago
SEE IT ON THE MAP
Live cloud cover over Chicago, on the full map.