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Tonight · peak score /100

9Not worth it

No usable window

best window

Limited by

Transparency

Why this matters

Transparency 0.10 — haze and water vapour will cost you the faintest targets. Read the guide →

Also limiting: Low cloud. See the guide →

Site details and actions

Site darkness · peer measure

Threatened dark skyNot multiplied into the conditions score

21.5–21.7 mag/arcsec²

The score describes tonight’s conditions. Site darkness helps you choose what to observe.

See target outlook ↓Planet observing times →

Best months at Queenstown, Otago →Moonless nights →

Tonight in context · local sky & season

November historically: 3.8 qualifying nights/month on average (2005–2024). Regional cloud and darkness history, not tonight’s probability or a comparison with the conditions score.

A qualifying historical night has at least 3 hours of astronomical darkness and mean nighttime cloud ≤30%. This does not measure steady air or target visibility. Seasonal history →

Saturn: about 5.0h above 20° during this observing night’s darkness. Longest sampled dark-time opportunity among our four planet targets; not a weather ranking. Planet times →

Position calculations use roughly 20-minute samples. Clouds, skyglow and local obstructions still matter. Milky Way timing →

Best window

None tonight

Window quality

—

Astronomical dark

23:00 – 05:00

Moon

Waning crescent, 31%

Transparency at peak

0.10

Seeing at peak (est.)

1.00

Visual limit (modelled)

5.5–6.5 mag

The night, hour by hour

Colour = score · Luminance = everything else

Score 0–100 · underline marks the best window · local time (Pacific/Auckland)
Hour	21	22	23	00	01	02	03	04	05	06
Score	0	1	1	4	5	0	9	2	7	0
Cloud %	100	100	100	100	95	100	88	99	81	99
Transp. 0–1	0.26	0.24	0.10	0.24	0.24	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.10
Seeing est. /1	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00
Moon alt. °	-57	-55	-49	-40	-31	-20	-10	1	10	19
Darkness	Twil.	Twil.	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Twil.	Twil.

Inspect all cloud layers and score factors

Sky state

Shaded = daylight and twilight · unshaded = astronomical dark

Score

Low cloud

96%

87%

77%

38%

56%

95%

48%

69%

38%

84%

Mid cloud

100%

95%

100%

75%

97%

69%

98%

High cloud

38%

22%

28%

33%

Transparency

0.26

0.24

0.10

0.24

0.10

Seeing

1.00

Moon clear

down

31%

30%

Inspect

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Score inspectorWhy this hour scored what it did Open peakClose

03 Not worth it · 9/100

Starting from

100

Cloud

−87

Transparency

−5

Seeing

−0

Moonlight

−0

Darkness

−0

Score

CLOUD 88% LOW 48% MID 75% HIGH 38% SUN -26.5° MOON -9.9° / 31% WIND 1 TEMP 13°

Excellent 75+ Good 55+ Fair 35+ Poor 15+ Not worth it Seeing is estimated from surface wind — see how we score.

Tonight is for planning

The sky is staying closed.

None of the five observing modes reaches a reliable setup window. Skip the empty charts and use tonight to make the next clear session easier.

Cloud stays at 81% or moreTransparency peaks at 0.10

Make the next clear night easier

Three useful moves, no dead chart.

The forecast detail above remains available when you need the measurements. These are the useful next decisions.

Scan the next seven nights → Read cloud by layer → Use tonight for equipment prep →

Remember what you observe

Your target still carries into clear-night recommendations and future alert rules.

Deep-sky visualPlanetary & lunarWide-field imagingLong exposureMeteor watching

Deep-sky visual is your current default.

A darker option

Aoraki Mackenzie (Lake Tekapo)

184 km away · Natural-dark sky · 21.8–21.9 mag/arcsec²

5conditions tonight

See the trade-off →

Latest verified night · 2026-11-01

Prediction, meet observation.

All comparisons →

Forecast

99%

Observed

99%

6 matches0 discrepanciesSatellite saw 0.1 points more cloud.

HIMAWARI cloud mask · ~13h referenceThe cloud call matched every sampled dark hour.Cloud only · 6 astronomically dark hours

Recent cloud comparisons · 30 recorded nights →

The next week of nights

Tonight
3 Nov9Moon 31%Cloud or fog is the strongest score limit at the best sampled time. ↓

Score 0–100 · underline marks the best window · local time (Pacific/Auckland)
Hour	21	22	23	00	01	02	03	04	05	06
Score	0	1	1	4	5	0	9	2	7	0
Cloud %	100	100	100	100	95	100	88	99	81	99
Transp. 0–1	0.26	0.24	0.10	0.24	0.24	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.10
Seeing est. /1	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00
Moon alt. °	-57	-55	-49	-40	-31	-20	-10	1	10	19
Darkness	Twil.	Twil.	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Twil.	Twil.

All factors for this night

Sky state

Shaded = daylight and twilight · unshaded = astronomical dark

Score

Low cloud

96%

87%

77%

38%

56%

95%

48%

69%

38%

84%

Mid cloud

100%

95%

100%

75%

97%

69%

98%

High cloud

38%

22%

28%

33%

Transparency

0.26

0.24

0.10

0.24

0.10

Seeing

1.00

Moon clear

down

31%

30%

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Tomorrow
4 Nov49Moon 23%Cloud or fog is the strongest score limit at the best sampled time. ↓

Score 0–100 · underline marks the best window · local time (Pacific/Auckland)
Hour	21	22	23	00	01	02	03	04	05	06
Score	0	5	28	49	35	47	38	20	5	0
Cloud %	95	92	73	48	71	45	52	81	96	96
Transp. 0–1	0.55	0.53	0.49	0.44	0.38	0.33	0.29	0.27	0.27	0.28
Seeing est. /1	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00
Moon alt. °	-49	-50	-48	-41	-33	-24	-14	-3	7	17
Darkness	Twil.	Twil.	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Twil.	Twil.

All factors for this night

Sky state

Shaded = daylight and twilight · unshaded = astronomical dark

Score

Low cloud

84%

87%

53%

23%

32%

23%

40%

60%

80%

71%

Mid cloud

High cloud

72%

36%

44%

34%

58%

28%

19%

52%

81%

88%

Transparency

0.55

0.53

0.49

0.44

0.38

0.33

0.29

0.27

0.28

Seeing

1.00

Moon clear

down

21%

20%

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Thursday
5 Nov3Moon 15%Cloud or fog is the strongest score limit at the best sampled time. ↓

Score 0–100 · underline marks the best window · local time (Pacific/Auckland)
Hour	21	22	23	00	01	02	03	04	05	06
Score	0	2	3	2	3	3	3	2	2	0
Cloud %	99	100	100	100	100	100	99	100	99	98
Transp. 0–1	0.33	0.22	0.15	0.12	0.10	0.30	0.10	0.10	0.26	0.25
Seeing est. /1	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00
Moon alt. °	-40	-43	-44	-40	-34	-26	-17	-6	4	14
Darkness	Twil.	Twil.	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Twil.	Twil.

All factors for this night

Sky state

Shaded = daylight and twilight · unshaded = astronomical dark

Score

Low cloud

15%

20%

13%

25%

33%

47%

42%

67%

Mid cloud

94%

99%

100%

96%

100%

97%

93%

High cloud

97%

96%

95%

96%

99%

88%

84%

67%

59%

46%

Transparency

0.33

0.22

0.15

0.12

0.10

0.30

0.10

0.26

0.25

Seeing

1.00

Moon clear

down

13%

12%

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Friday
6 Nov3Moon 7%Cloud or fog is the strongest score limit at the best sampled time. ↓

Score 0–100 · underline marks the best window · local time (Pacific/Auckland)
Hour	19	01	07
Score	0	3	0
Cloud %	98	99	100
Transp. 0–1	0.65	0.31	0.22
Seeing est. /1	1.00	1.00	1.00
Moon alt. °	-14	-33	22
Darkness	Day	Dark	Day

All factors for this night

Sky state

Shaded = daylight and twilight · unshaded = astronomical dark

Score

Low cloud

90%

76%

99%

Mid cloud

96%

93%

11%

High cloud

86%

Transparency

0.65

0.31

0.22

Seeing

1.00

Moon clear

down

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Saturday
7 Nov47Moon 3%Cloud or fog is the strongest score limit at the best sampled time. ↓

Score 0–100 · underline marks the best window · local time (Pacific/Auckland)
Hour	19	01	07
Score	0	47	0
Cloud %	18	59	96
Transp. 0–1	0.85	0.38	0.16
Seeing est. /1	1.00	1.00	1.00
Moon alt. °	-1	-30	18
Darkness	Day	Dark	Day

All factors for this night

Sky state

Shaded = daylight and twilight · unshaded = astronomical dark

Score

Low cloud

77%

Mid cloud

71%

High cloud

10%

55%

37%

Transparency

0.85

0.38

0.16

Seeing

1.00

Moon clear

down

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Sunday
8 Nov0Moon 1%Cloud or fog is the strongest score limit at the best sampled time. ↓

Score 0–100 · underline marks the best window · local time (Pacific/Auckland)
Hour	19	01	07
Score	0	0	0
Cloud %	100	100	99
Transp. 0–1	0.81	0.31	0.25
Seeing est. /1	1.00	1.00	1.00
Moon alt. °	9	-26	13
Darkness	Day	Dark	Day

All factors for this night

Sky state

Shaded = daylight and twilight · unshaded = astronomical dark

Score

Low cloud

11%

97%

73%

Mid cloud

96%

91%

24%

High cloud

93%

95%

98%

Transparency

0.81

0.31

0.25

Seeing

1.00

Moon clear

down

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Monday
9 Nov1Moon 0%Cloud or fog is the strongest score limit at the best sampled time. ↓

Score 0–100 · underline marks the best window · local time (Pacific/Auckland)
Hour	19	01	07
Score	0	1	0
Cloud %	98	98	59
Transp. 0–1	0.50	0.28	0.22
Seeing est. /1	0.94	1.00	1.00
Moon alt. °	20	-22	8
Darkness	Day	Dark	Day

All factors for this night

Sky state

Shaded = daylight and twilight · unshaded = astronomical dark

Score

Low cloud

48%

81%

41%

Mid cloud

18%

94%

37%

High cloud

95%

64%

Transparency

0.50

0.28

0.22

Seeing

0.94

1.00

Moon clear

down

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Tap a night for its hours. Later forecasts may have wider time steps; missing hours are not interpolated.

Planning a trip?

Compare the next eight weekends → · Best months to visit → · Moonless nights →

About this forecast

Exact-coordinate weather, sky geometry and site context.

Full method →20-year baseline →

Sources and scoring details openclose

Conditions for Queenstown, Otago, New Zealand are computed from the MET Norway forecast model for these exact coordinates, combined with sun and moon positions we calculate directly. The score weighs cloud cover by layer, atmospheric transparency, estimated seeing, moonlight and astronomical twilight. Site darkness is shown separately, then used only where artificial skyglow physically changes moon contrast, haze scattering, visual limits and target suitability.