12.5 usable nights
10–15 in the middle half of years · 5.0 typically near a dark moon.
248 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
20-year trip-planning baseline
When to plan an observing trip to Uluru-Kata Tjuta
August: 24.1 usable nights on average. A regional planning baseline, not a forecast for your trip.
Site darkness · modelled, not measured
Natural-dark skyBortle classes describe observed sky conditions; this brightness model does not establish a measured Bortle class.21.9–21.9 mag/arcsec²
The short answer
August has been strongest.
It averages 24.1 usable nights, versus 12.2 in December. A typical August lands between 22 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
16.1 usable nights
14–21 in the middle half of years · 4.5 typically near a dark moon.
234 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
15.1 usable nights
12–19 in the middle half of years · 4.7 typically near a dark moon.
292 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
16.6 usable nights
13–19 in the middle half of years · 5.0 typically near a dark moon.
300 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
18.9 usable nights
14–24 in the middle half of years · 6.0 typically near a dark moon.
310 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
18.9 usable nights
16–22 in the middle half of years · 6.0 typically near a dark moon.
300 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
22.1 usable nights
21–26 in the middle half of years · 7.2 typically near a dark moon.
310 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
24.1 usable nights
22–28 in the middle half of years · 7.9 typically near a dark moon.
310 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
20.7 usable nights
17–24 in the middle half of years · 6.8 typically near a dark moon.
296 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
17.9 usable nights
16–21 in the middle half of years · 5.3 typically near a dark moon.
270 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
13.0 usable nights
10–16 in the middle half of years · 3.8 typically near a dark moon.
240 astronomical-dark hours in an average month
12.2 usable nights
9–16 in the middle half of years · 2.7 typically near a dark moon.
248 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.