2.1 usable nights
1–3 in the middle half of years · 0.7 typically near a dark moon.
310 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
20-year trip-planning baseline
Best time to stargaze at Edinburg
August: 17.9 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 skyBortle classes describe observed sky conditions; this brightness model does not establish a measured Bortle class.18.7–19.5 mag/arcsec²
The short answer
August has been strongest.
It averages 17.9 usable nights, versus 2.1 in January. A typical August lands between 16 and 21 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
3.4 usable nights
0–5 in the middle half of years · 1.1 typically near a dark moon.
283 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
5.5 usable nights
2–7 in the middle half of years · 2.1 typically near a dark moon.
300 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
4.7 usable nights
2–6 in the middle half of years · 1.7 typically near a dark moon.
244 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
7.8 usable nights
4–10 in the middle half of years · 2.6 typically near a dark moon.
248 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
15.9 usable nights
12–18 in the middle half of years · 4.5 typically near a dark moon.
240 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
15.4 usable nights
12–19 in the middle half of years · 5.8 typically near a dark moon.
248 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
17.9 usable nights
16–21 in the middle half of years · 6.3 typically near a dark moon.
248 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
11.7 usable nights
9–15 in the middle half of years · 3.8 typically near a dark moon.
275 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
13.9 usable nights
9–19 in the middle half of years · 5.2 typically near a dark moon.
310 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
8.4 usable nights
5–11 in the middle half of years · 3.0 typically near a dark moon.
312 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.
313 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.