SKY · STARGAZING · NEW ZEALAND

Is Tonight Good for Stargazing in Christchurch?

The sky is forecast to stay overcast through tonight's dark hours (about 92% cloud), so there's little chance of seeing the stars wherever the Moon is.

TONIGHT'S VERDICT · CHRISTCHURCH
VerdictOvercast — not a stargazing night
Night cloud92%
MoonWaxing Crescent · 23%
Dark from4:58 PM
Until8:02 AM

Worth looking for: Little to nothing — try again on a clearer night.

Live cloud reading

READING TONIGHT'S SKY…

How dark is the sky over Christchurch?

Sky class (estimate)Bortle 8 · City sky

Like most large cities, the centre of Christchurch sits high on the Bortle scale (around class 8), so the Milky Way and faint stars are lost to the glow. For dark sky, head well away from the city lights.

Even on the clearest, Moonless night, a bright city sky limits what you can see. For the Milky Way and faint stars from Christchurch, you'll need to travel well clear of the city lights.

Christchurch right now

More sky over Christchurch

SEE IT ON THE MAP

Live cloud cover over Christchurch, on the full map.

Open the live map →