4.1 usable nights
2–5 in the middle half of years · 1.4 typically near a dark moon.
354 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
20-year trip-planning baseline
Best time to stargaze at Mason City
September: 11.6 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
Brightened skyBortle classes describe observed sky conditions; this brightness model does not establish a measured Bortle class.19.9–20.5 mag/arcsec²
The short answer
September has been strongest.
It averages 11.6 usable nights, versus 2.5 in December. A typical September lands between 9 and 14 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
5.4 usable nights
3–7 in the middle half of years · 1.6 typically near a dark moon.
292 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
3.8 usable nights
2–5 in the middle half of years · 0.7 typically near a dark moon.
272 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
5.5 usable nights
4–7 in the middle half of years · 1.3 typically near a dark moon.
214 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
6.1 usable nights
5–8 in the middle half of years · 2.4 typically near a dark moon.
163 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
7.8 usable nights
6–10 in the middle half of years · 3.1 typically near a dark moon.
120 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
11.2 usable nights
9–13 in the middle half of years · 3.8 typically near a dark moon.
142 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
10.6 usable nights
9–12 in the middle half of years · 3.9 typically near a dark moon.
200 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
11.6 usable nights
9–14 in the middle half of years · 4.0 typically near a dark moon.
247 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
8.7 usable nights
7–10 in the middle half of years · 2.6 typically near a dark moon.
304 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
5.4 usable nights
3–7 in the middle half of years · 2.1 typically near a dark moon.
331 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
2.5 usable nights
2–3 in the middle half of years · 0.7 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.