9.6 usable nights
6–11 in the middle half of years · 4.2 typically near a dark moon.
248 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
20-year trip-planning baseline
When to plan an observing trip to Alice Springs
August: 25.9 usable nights on average. A regional planning baseline, not a forecast for your trip.
Site darkness · modelled, not measured
Brightened skyBortle classes describe observed sky conditions; this brightness model does not establish a measured Bortle class.20.7–21.2 mag/arcsec²
The short answer
August has been strongest.
It averages 25.9 usable nights, versus 9.6 in January. A typical August lands between 24 and 29 usable nights.
Record2005–2024 · 20 complete years
Usable nightAt least 3 astronomical-dark hours and NASA POWER nighttime cloud ≤30%
Dark-moon nightUsable night with ≤25% illumination at local solar midnight
ResolutionCERES SYN1deg 1° cloud grid; regional climate, not a campsite guarantee
Seasonal fingerprint
Usable nights by month
Month by month
14.4 usable nights
11–19 in the middle half of years · 3.9 typically near a dark moon.
238 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
16.4 usable nights
12–20 in the middle half of years · 5.8 typically near a dark moon.
293 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
19.1 usable nights
16–22 in the middle half of years · 6.2 typically near a dark moon.
300 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
19.5 usable nights
16–23 in the middle half of years · 6.0 typically near a dark moon.
310 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
19.8 usable nights
16–22 in the middle half of years · 6.3 typically near a dark moon.
300 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
23.8 usable nights
22–28 in the middle half of years · 8.1 typically near a dark moon.
310 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
25.9 usable nights
24–29 in the middle half of years · 8.8 typically near a dark moon.
310 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
20.3 usable nights
18–24 in the middle half of years · 6.8 typically near a dark moon.
297 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
17.4 usable nights
14–20 in the middle half of years · 5.9 typically near a dark moon.
274 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
13.3 usable nights
10–17 in the middle half of years · 4.5 typically near a dark moon.
240 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
11.3 usable nights
9–13 in the middle half of years · 2.1 typically near a dark moon.
248 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
Use the baseline honestly
Climate chooses the month. Forecasts choose the night.
The cloud product is a roughly 1° regional grid. It can reveal seasonality, but it cannot know a mountain ridge, valley fog pocket, locked gate, smoke event or the exact sky you will get.
Source: NASA POWER daily data, parameter CLOUD_AMT_NIGHT from the CERES SYN1deg cloud product. GoodSeeing calculates astronomical darkness and lunar illumination independently for each place.