SKY · STARGAZING · SOUTH AFRICA
Is Tonight Good for Stargazing in Cape Town?
Clear, dark skies tonight (about 18% cloud) with the Moon well out of the way. This is about as good as it gets — from a dark site away from city lights you'll see the Milky Way, faint stars, and any active meteor shower.
Worth looking for: Everything: planets, constellations, the Milky Way, meteor showers and faint deep-sky objects — given a dark horizon.
Live cloud reading
How dark is the sky over Cape Town?
A Bortle 7 coastal city; the Karoo darkens dramatically inland.
Even on the clearest, Moonless night, a bright city sky limits what you can see. For the Milky Way and faint stars from Cape Town, you'll want to reach a darker site — see the options below.
Darker skies within reach of Cape Town
Dark-sky designations from the International Dark-Sky Association and well-recognised dark regions. Always check access, opening hours and the weather before travelling.
Cape Town right now
More sky over Cape Town
SEE IT ON THE MAP
Live cloud cover over Cape Town, on the full map.