1.1 usable nights
0–2 in the middle half of years · 0.6 typically near a dark moon.
352 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
20-year trip-planning baseline
Best time to stargaze at Chicago
September: 5.2 usable nights on average. Use this seasonal climate baseline to choose a month, then use the live forecast to choose a night.
Site darkness · modelled, not measured
Bright urban skyBortle classes describe observed sky conditions; this brightness model does not establish a measured Bortle class.17.3–18.1 mag/arcsec²
The short answer
September has been strongest.
It averages 5.2 usable nights, versus 0.6 in April. A typical September lands between 4 and 7 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
2.6 usable nights
1–4 in the middle half of years · 0.7 typically near a dark moon.
291 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
1.4 usable nights
0–2 in the middle half of years · 0.3 typically near a dark moon.
274 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
0.6 usable nights
0–0 in the middle half of years · 0.1 typically near a dark moon.
219 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
0.8 usable nights
0–0 in the middle half of years · 0.3 typically near a dark moon.
176 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
1.1 usable nights
0–0 in the middle half of years · 0.4 typically near a dark moon.
120 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
1.6 usable nights
0–1 in the middle half of years · 0.3 typically near a dark moon.
154 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
2.6 usable nights
0–3 in the middle half of years · 1.1 typically near a dark moon.
206 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
5.2 usable nights
4–7 in the middle half of years · 2.0 typically near a dark moon.
248 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
5.1 usable nights
4–6 in the middle half of years · 1.6 typically near a dark moon.
305 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
3.4 usable nights
1–4 in the middle half of years · 1.1 typically near a dark moon.
330 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
1.4 usable nights
1–2 in the middle half of years · 0.3 typically near a dark moon.
371 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.