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Tonight · Sun, 11 October 2026

Siding Spring Observatory stargazing forecast tonight

Hourly clear-sky conditions for observing: cloud by layer, transparency, estimated seeing, moonlight and true astronomical darkness.

31.273°S 149.064°E ·1165 m ·New South Wales, Australia

94
/100
Excellent conditions
at peak

A genuinely good night — 9 hours of clear, dark sky from 21:00.

Site darkness · peer measure
Natural-dark skyNot multiplied into the conditions score
21.9–21.9 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 Siding Spring Observatory, New South Wales →Moonless nights →
Tonight in context · local sky & season

October historically: 14.9 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 8.3h 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
21:00 – 06:00
Window quality
91 / 100 avg
Astronomical dark
21:00 – 06:00
Moon
Waxing crescent, 1%
Transparency at peak
1.00
Seeing at peak (est.)
0.96
Visual limit (modelled)
6.0–7.0 mag
Tonight's limiting factor
Nothing much

No single factor is holding this night back. Go out.

The night, hour by hour

Colour = score · Luminance = everything else
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
37
94
89
87
91
94
93
92
91
90
8
Score
BEST WINDOW · 10 H
Low cloud
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Mid cloud
3%
5%
1%
9%
9%
6%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
High cloud
0%
6%
9%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
27%
Transparency
1.00
0.96
1.00
0.99
0.91
0.91
0.87
0.83
0.80
0.78
0.76
0.74
0.71
Seeing
0.88
0.97
0.96
0.88
0.90
0.99
0.98
0.98
0.99
0.99
1.00
0.96
0.90
Moon clear
1%
1%
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
2%
19
20
21
22
23
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
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
21 Excellent · 94/100
Starting from
100
Cloud
−5
Transparency
−0
Seeing
−1
Moonlight
−0
Darkness
−0
Score
94
CLOUD 9% LOW 0% MID 1% HIGH 9% SUN -23.0° MOON -11.7° / 1% WIND 2 TEMP 18°
Excellent 75+ Good 55+ Fair 35+ Poor 15+ Not worth it Seeing is estimated from surface wind — see how we score.

What can you actually do tonight?

This is GoodSeeing’s decision layer: the same forecast is weighted for your target and site darkness. Planetary work barely cares about moonlight; long exposures can fail on high cloud a visual observer would barely notice. Your choice is remembered on this device and becomes the default for new alert rules.

SET UP 20:30 · OBSERVE 21:00–06:00 · 9H · MEAN 91

Darkness and moonlight dominate. Faint fuzzies need a genuinely dark sky more than they need steady air.

19212301030507
ASTRONOMICAL DARK FROM 21:00TWILIGHT BEGINS 06:00
SET UP 19:30 · OBSERVE 20:00–07:00 · 11H · MEAN 87

Seeing is everything and moonlight is irrelevant. Bright targets punch through twilight, so darkness barely counts.

19212301030507
CLOUD RETURNS 07:00MOONLIGHT IGNORED FOR THIS TARGET
SET UP 20:30 · OBSERVE 21:00–06:00 · 9H · MEAN 90

Tolerates soft seeing, but high cloud wrecks a wide frame and moonlight raises the background everywhere.

19212301030507
ASTRONOMICAL DARK FROM 21:00TWILIGHT BEGINS 06:00
SET UP 20:30 · OBSERVE 21:00–06:00 · 9H · MEAN 87

Needs conditions to hold still for hours. Sustained transparency matters more than any single good hour.

19212301030507
ASTRONOMICAL DARK FROM 21:00TWILIGHT BEGINS 06:00
SET UP 20:30 · OBSERVE 21:00–06:00 · 9H · MEAN 92

Naked eye, whole sky. Total cloud and moonlight are the only things that count.

19212301030507
ASTRONOMICAL DARK FROM 21:00TWILIGHT BEGINS 06:00

Deep-sky visual is your current default.

A darker option

Hanle (Indian Astronomical Observatory)

10,240 km away · Natural-dark sky · 21.9–21.9 mag/arcsec²

95conditions tonight
See the trade-off →
Latest verified night · 2026-10-08

Prediction, meet observation.

All comparisons →
9 matches0 discrepanciesSatellite saw 0.3 points less cloud.
HIMAWARI cloud mask · ~12h referenceThe cloud call matched every sampled dark hour.Cloud only · 9 astronomically dark hours

Recent cloud comparisons · 30 recorded nights →

The next week of nights

Tonight · 11 Oct
94
Excellent
MOON 1%
21:00–06:00
Tomorrow · 12 Oct
25
Poor

Cloud or fog is the strongest score limit at the best sampled time.

MOON 4%
Tuesday · 13 Oct
83
Excellent
MOON 7%
23:00–00:00
Wednesday · 14 Oct
62
Good
MOON 17%
23:00–00:00
Thursday · 15 Oct
26
Poor

Cloud or fog is the strongest score limit at the best sampled time.

MOON 24%
Friday · 16 Oct
7
Not worth it

Cloud or fog is the strongest score limit at the best sampled time.

MOON 33%
Saturday · 17 Oct
61
Good
MOON 42%
05:00–06:00

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

Tonight · 11 Oct · forecast times
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
37
94
89
87
91
94
93
92
91
90
8
Score
Low cloud
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Mid cloud
3%
5%
1%
9%
9%
6%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
High cloud
0%
6%
9%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
27%
Transparency
1.00
0.96
1.00
0.99
0.91
0.91
0.87
0.83
0.80
0.78
0.76
0.74
0.71
Seeing
0.88
0.97
0.96
0.88
0.90
0.99
0.98
0.98
0.99
0.99
1.00
0.96
0.90
Moon clear
1%
1%
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
2%
19
20
21
22
23
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07

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

Tomorrow · 12 Oct · forecast times
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
2
23
11
14
9
9
17
25
4
3
2
Score
Low cloud
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
13%
6%
Mid cloud
63%
99%
49%
83%
66%
75%
83%
64%
43%
100%
100%
30%
10%
High cloud
100%
98%
100%
100%
100%
99%
99%
83%
81%
93%
100%
94%
74%
Transparency
1.00
1.00
1.00
0.92
0.42
0.15
0.42
0.44
0.38
0.35
0.43
0.41
0.38
Seeing
0.84
0.86
0.72
0.85
0.93
0.86
0.82
0.83
0.93
0.93
0.99
0.98
0.98
Moon clear
4%
4%
4%
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
19
20
21
22
23
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07

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

Tuesday · 13 Oct · forecast times
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
83
76
Score
Low cloud
43%
0%
0%
59%
Mid cloud
9%
0%
0%
0%
High cloud
87%
0%
0%
0%
Transparency
0.27
0.70
0.49
0.83
Seeing
0.70
0.78
0.80
0.90
Moon clear
8%
down
down
12%
17
23
05
11

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

Wednesday · 14 Oct · forecast times
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
62
21
Score
Low cloud
6%
0%
4%
14%
Mid cloud
0%
0%
40%
94%
High cloud
2%
34%
97%
90%
Transparency
1.00
0.53
0.43
0.78
Seeing
0.76
0.73
0.83
0.70
Moon clear
13%
15%
down
19%
17
23
05
11

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

Thursday · 15 Oct · forecast times
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
26
Score
Low cloud
3%
16%
100%
36%
Mid cloud
94%
23%
100%
44%
High cloud
0%
84%
98%
0%
Transparency
0.82
0.47
0.17
0.57
Seeing
0.77
0.72
0.88
0.68
Moon clear
21%
22%
down
27%
17
23
05
11

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

Friday · 16 Oct · forecast times
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
2
7
Score
Low cloud
23%
94%
4%
0%
Mid cloud
100%
41%
87%
39%
High cloud
0%
29%
95%
98%
Transparency
0.64
0.37
0.31
0.75
Seeing
0.85
0.82
0.85
0.71
Moon clear
29%
31%
down
35%
17
23
05
11

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

Saturday · 17 Oct · forecast times
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
54
61
Score
Low cloud
9%
8%
3%
4%
Mid cloud
33%
5%
8%
6%
High cloud
77%
0%
0%
0%
Transparency
0.92
0.37
0.25
0.85
Seeing
0.84
0.84
0.94
0.81
Moon clear
37%
40%
down
down
17
23
05
11

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

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 Siding Spring Observatory, New South Wales, Australia 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.