Night-sky planning at Moke Lake outside Queenstown — with gravel-road access and winter restrictions.
Calculated for Moke Lake (DOC campsite) (-44.998, 168.573)Local time GMT+13 (UTC+13)
Stargazing at Moke Lake (DOC campsite)Forecast
Go out between 22:43 and 01:00 — this is the best forecast window.
Plan a short look for bright stars; this is not a Milky Way, planet or meteor timing recommendation. Check the latest weather before travelling.
The Tonight engine selects this window because cloud stays thin, the Moon stays below the horizon during this window. Compared with earlier remaining scored hours: more complete darkness. Earlier observing is not ruled out.
Window cloud ≈33%; whole-night mean 55%. Moon altitude in the scored hours: -32°–-29°. Cloud, darkness, Moon altitude and rain affect the timing; a full Moon can remain up throughout.
Go means conditions are usable; Wait is shown only when remaining earlier scored hours support a timing improvement; Later window means there is no demonstrated reason to delay. Neither label ranks places. The window is selected by hourly cloud, darkness, Moon altitude and rain, with whole-night context in the verdict. It is not a guarantee or proof that earlier hours are unusable. Artificial light, terrain, access and personal safety are not scored. The former confidence percentage was an uncalibrated internal heuristic using forecast coverage, cloud variation, rain and score margin — not the probability of clear weather or a successful outing. It is no longer shown here.
Sunset
20:43
20% cloud forecast
Full darkness
22:43
Sun 18° below horizon
Best stargazing window
22:43–01:00
Inside astronomical darkness · Tonight engine
Night cloud
55%
Live forecast in use
Moon
5% lit
Waning Crescent · up ≈0% of dark hours
Milky Way core
22:43–23:29
peaks 17° high
Each place has its own forecast and calculation. Go and Wait describe timing, not a ranking of places. Compare the chosen window, not only the whole-night cloud average. Artificial light and access rules are not scored; a place marked “Sky conditions only” is not a visit recommendation.
| Place | Stargazing | Night cloud | Darkness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moke Lake (DOC campsite)A lakeside DOC campsite outside town; no measured darkness rating is claimed. | GoSelected window 22:43–01:00. The Tonight engine selects this window because cloud stays thin, the Moon stays below the horizon during this window. Compared with earlier remaining scored hours: more complete darkness. Earlier observing is not ruled out.Scored conditionsWindow cloud ≈33%; whole-night mean 55%. Moon altitude in the scored hours: -32°–-29°. Cloud, darkness, Moon altitude and rain affect the timing; a full Moon can remain up throughout. Live forecast in use. Calculated Sat 7 Nov, 16:05. | 55%Window ≈33% | Full dark from 22:43 |
| Queenstown waterfrontWhere visitors stay; local lighting can interfere with faint-star viewing; no measured darkness rating is supplied. | WaitSelected window 22:43–01:00. The Tonight engine selects this window because cloud stays thin, the Moon stays below the horizon during this window. Compared with earlier remaining scored hours: less cloud (≈45% earlier → ≈33% in the window); more complete darkness. Earlier observing is not ruled out.Scored conditionsWindow cloud ≈33%; whole-night mean 58%. Moon altitude in the scored hours: -32°–-29°. Cloud, darkness, Moon altitude and rain affect the timing; a full Moon can remain up throughout. Live forecast in use. Calculated Sat 7 Nov, 16:05. | 58%Window ≈33% | Full dark from 22:43 |
Evening of Sat 7 NovAstronomy
20:43
Sunset
21:15
Civil twilight ends
21:57
Nautical twilight ends
22:43
Astronomical darkness
Astronomical darkness begins at 22:43. Faint-star and Milky Way visibility also depends on cloud, Moon, artificial light and the local horizon. Morning: darkness ends 04:15, sunrise 06:16.
Times in Pacific/Auckland (GMT+13, UTC+13). This zone observes daylight saving time; no change in the next eight days.
Sat 7 NovAstronomy
The Moon is below the horizon in the sampled dark hours; cloud and local lighting still affect the sky.
Galactic centre in SagittariusAstronomy
The window needs astronomical darkness and the core at least 10° up. Core positions include refraction and are sampled each minute; these are timing estimates, not guaranteed visibility. Hills, trees and town glow near the horizon can still hide it.
Above the horizon vs. easy to seeAstronomy
"Favourable geometry" means at least 10° up while the Sun is 12° or more below the horizon. Cloud, Moon and local obstructions are not included; positions are sampled every 15 minutes.
Tonight · OrionidsForecast
Skip tonight
Rates are approximate modelled estimates, not measured or guaranteed counts. Observing windows use 30-minute samples: any start or end is approximate and may differ by almost 30 minutes from a continuous crossing. Radiants use fixed peak positions; daily radiant drift is not modelled. The model assumes a fixed, moderately dark sky; town light can cut what you see well below these figures.
Coming upAstronomy
Year-specific IMO predictions, not guaranteed or observed peaks. Date-only maxima are not assigned an invented local hour. The rate model above still uses typical annual peak dates and fixed radiant positions; it does not model the published peak ranges or daily radiant drift.
Lowest-cloud evening (weather only): Sat 7 Nov (lowest mean night cloud). The overall recommendation at the top also weighs moonlight and darkness, so it can name a different night. Cloud is shown only where the forecast covers the night. Values come from an eight-day forecast — the later evenings are less certain than the first, so check again close to the date.
| Evening | Sunset | Full dark | Moon | Night cloudForecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 7 NovLowest cloud | 20:43 | 22:43 | 3% · down | 47% |
| Sun 8 Nov | 20:44 | 22:45 | 1% · down | 99% |
| Mon 9 Nov | 20:45 | 22:48 | 0% · down | 92% |
| Tue 10 Nov | 20:47 | 22:50 | 2% · down | Beyond forecast |
| Wed 11 Nov | 20:48 | 22:52 | 5% · up ≈5% | Beyond forecast |
| Thu 12 Nov | 20:50 | 22:54 | 10% · up ≈24% | Beyond forecast |
| Fri 13 Nov | 20:51 | 22:57 | 16% · up ≈38% | Beyond forecast |
| Sat 14 Nov | 20:52 | 22:59 | 23% · up ≈48% | Beyond forecast |
Astronomy only. No weather is given for this selected date. Moon-up percentages are approximate 15-minute samples across astronomical darkness; Milky Way positions include refraction and one-minute sampling, not visibility guarantees.
Astronomy on the 15th of each month — not a weather or climate forecast. Each core window uses astronomical darkness and its stated altitude threshold (10°, or a lower 5°/2° threshold when the core stays low). Low-altitude windows are marginal geometry, not equivalent to a 10° window or a visibility recommendation.Astronomy
| Month | Full darkness | Milky Way core in darkness |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.2 h | 0.2 h above 2° · up to 3° |
| Feb | 6.4 h | 2.4 h above 10° · up to 34° |
| Mar | 8.2 h | 5.1 h above 10° · up to 62° |
| Apr | 9.9 h | 7.8 h above 10° · up to 74° |
| May | 11.1 h | 10.3 h above 10° · up to 74° |
| Jun | 11.7 h | 11.7 h above 10° · up to 74° |
| Jul | 11.4 h | 10.9 h above 10° · up to 74° |
| Aug | 10.4 h | 8.4 h above 10° · up to 74° |
| Sept | 9.0 h | 5.8 h above 10° · up to 68° |
| Oct | 7.1 h | 3.0 h above 10° · up to 41° |
| Nov | 5.0 h | 0.5 h above 5° · up to 10° |
| Dec | 3.3 h | — |
Sources are linked below. Tourism descriptions do not confirm current access, closures or safety. Sky calculations use an ideal horizon, not local mountain or building profiles.
The Department of Conservation describes Moke Lake as a peaceful campsite beside a small lake outside central Queenstown. It does not publish a darkness rating, so none is claimed here.
Source: New Zealand Department of ConservationTurn off Glenorchy Road about 6 km west of Queenstown, then follow roughly 7 km of gravel road to the lake. Allow time for it in the dark.
Source: New Zealand Department of ConservationDOC warns that the road to Moke Lake can be tricky in winter and four-wheel-drive only — exactly when nights are longest.
Source: New Zealand Department of ConservationIf you plan to camp after observing, book first: DOC says sites may not be available without booking. Same-day online bookings are possible until 8 p.m. if spaces remain.
Source: New Zealand Department of ConservationThe campsite water supply is turned off in winter because it freezes.
Source: New Zealand Department of ConservationWhy this calculation point: A lakeside DOC campsite outside town; no measured darkness rating is claimed.
Forecast fetched Sat 7 Nov, 16:06 local time · weather: Live forecast in use. Astronomy: astronomy-engine, twilight on the geometric Sun (USNO convention), times rounded to the nearest minute.
