8.4 usable nights
6–10 in the middle half of years · 2.6 typically near a dark moon.
342 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
20-year trip-planning baseline
When to plan an observing trip to Bakersfield
August: 25.6 usable nights on average. A regional planning baseline, not a forecast for your trip.
Site darkness · modelled, not measured
Bright skyBortle classes describe observed sky conditions; this brightness model does not establish a measured Bortle class.18.8–19.5 mag/arcsec²
The short answer
August has been strongest.
It averages 25.6 usable nights, versus 8.4 in January. A typical August lands between 24 and 28 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
9.7 usable nights
6–14 in the middle half of years · 3.3 typically near a dark moon.
288 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
10.0 usable nights
6–13 in the middle half of years · 2.6 typically near a dark moon.
285 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
14.4 usable nights
12–17 in the middle half of years · 4.9 typically near a dark moon.
240 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
20.2 usable nights
19–23 in the middle half of years · 7.0 typically near a dark moon.
198 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
23.9 usable nights
21–27 in the middle half of years · 8.2 typically near a dark moon.
180 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
24.1 usable nights
22–26 in the middle half of years · 7.8 typically near a dark moon.
186 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
25.6 usable nights
24–28 in the middle half of years · 8.6 typically near a dark moon.
239 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
24.3 usable nights
23–27 in the middle half of years · 8.4 typically near a dark moon.
254 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
21.0 usable nights
18–24 in the middle half of years · 7.1 typically near a dark moon.
310 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
13.6 usable nights
12–16 in the middle half of years · 4.5 typically near a dark moon.
327 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
8.4 usable nights
5–10 in the middle half of years · 3.3 typically near a dark moon.
359 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.