1.1 usable nights
0–2 in the middle half of years · 0.3 typically near a dark moon.
361 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
20-year trip-planning baseline
When to plan an observing trip to Kelowna
August: 9.2 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.19.5–20.2 mag/arcsec²
The short answer
August has been strongest.
It averages 9.2 usable nights, versus 0.0 in June. A typical August lands between 6 and 12 usable nights.
No astronomical darkness in June. Cloud cannot rescue a night when the sun never reaches 18° below the horizon.
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
1.9 usable nights
1–3 in the middle half of years · 0.5 typically near a dark moon.
293 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
2.6 usable nights
1–4 in the middle half of years · 0.7 typically near a dark moon.
261 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
2.9 usable nights
1–3 in the middle half of years · 0.9 typically near a dark moon.
182 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
2.9 usable nights
1–4 in the middle half of years · 1.1 typically near a dark moon.
90 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
0.0 usable nights
0–0 in the middle half of years · 0.0 typically near a dark moon.
0 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
3.3 usable nights
2–5 in the middle half of years · 0.8 typically near a dark moon.
48 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
9.2 usable nights
6–12 in the middle half of years · 3.5 typically near a dark moon.
159 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
7.0 usable nights
4–9 in the middle half of years · 2.2 typically near a dark moon.
229 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
4.2 usable nights
2–6 in the middle half of years · 0.6 typically near a dark moon.
300 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
0.7 usable nights
0–1 in the middle half of years · 0.1 typically near a dark moon.
338 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
0.5 usable nights
0–0 in the middle half of years · 0.0 typically near a dark moon.
372 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.