Atacama Desert stargazing: best night for your trip
Over 300 clear nights a year. Tours often do not run near full moon. The moon is the big variable: a bright moon hides the Milky Way. Enter your dates to rank every night.
Mon 2 Nov to Tue 1 Dec 2026
Best night: Fri 6 November 2026
Dark from 21:09 to 05:24 · 8.3 h without the moon · Milky Way core: 1.3 h
| Night of | Moon | Dark hours | Moon-free | Milky Way core | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2 Nov | 36% | 8.5 | 6.0 | 1.5 h | 90 |
| Tue 3 Nov | 26% | 8.3 | 6.7 | 1.5 h | 94 |
| Wed 4 Nov | 17% | 8.3 | 7.2 | 1.5 h | 97 |
| Thu 5 Nov | 10% | 8.3 | 7.8 | 1.3 h | 98 |
| Fri 6 Nov | 4% | 8.3 | 8.3 | 1.3 h | 99 |
| Sat 7 Nov | 1% | 8.3 | 8.3 | 1.2 h | 99 |
| Sun 8 Nov | 0% | 8.3 | 8.3 | 1.2 h | 99 |
| Mon 9 Nov | 1% | 8.3 | 8.3 | 1.0 h | 99 |
| Tue 10 Nov | 4% | 8.2 | 7.8 | 0.7 h | 98 |
| Wed 11 Nov | 8% | 8.2 | 6.8 | moonlit only | 97 |
| Thu 12 Nov | 14% | 8.2 | 6.0 | moonlit only | 95 |
| Fri 13 Nov | 21% | 8.2 | 5.3 | moonlit only | 92 |
| Sat 14 Nov | 29% | 8.2 | 4.7 | moonlit only | 88 |
| Sun 15 Nov | 38% | 8.2 | 4.0 | moonlit only | 82 |
| Mon 16 Nov | 48% | 8.2 | 3.5 | moonlit only | 76 |
| Tue 17 Nov | 57% | 8.0 | 2.8 | below horizon | 67 |
| Wed 18 Nov | 67% | 8.0 | 2.2 | below horizon | 57 |
| Thu 19 Nov | 77% | 8.0 | 1.7 | below horizon | 47 |
| Fri 20 Nov | 85% | 8.0 | 1.2 | below horizon | 37 |
| Sat 21 Nov | 92% | 8.0 | 0.5 | below horizon | 25 |
| Sun 22 Nov | 97% | 8.0 | 0.0 | below horizon | 16 |
| Mon 23 Nov | 99% | 8.0 | 0.0 | below horizon | 14 |
| Tue 24 Nov | 100% | 8.0 | 0.0 | below horizon | 14 |
| Wed 25 Nov | 97% | 7.8 | 0.2 | below horizon | 17 |
| Thu 26 Nov | 92% | 7.8 | 1.2 | below horizon | 32 |
| Fri 27 Nov | 84% | 7.8 | 2.0 | below horizon | 45 |
| Sat 28 Nov | 75% | 7.8 | 2.8 | below horizon | 58 |
| Sun 29 Nov | 64% | 7.8 | 3.7 | below horizon | 69 |
| Mon 30 Nov | 53% | 7.8 | 4.2 | below horizon | 77 |
| Tue 1 Dec | 42% | 7.8 | 4.8 | below horizon | 85 |
Best night each month
| Month | New moon | Best night | Good nights | Core on best night |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | 9 Nov | Fri 6 Nov | 17 | 1.3 h |
| December 2026 | 8 Dec | Sat 5 Dec | 18 | not visible |
| January 2027 | 7 Jan | Tue 5 Jan | 18 | not visible |
| February 2027 | 6 Feb | Tue 9 Feb | 15 | 2.2 h |
| March 2027 | 8 Mar | Mon 8 Mar | 18 | 4.2 h |
| April 2027 | 6 Apr | Wed 7 Apr | 16 | 6.3 h |
| May 2027 | 6 May | Wed 5 May | 17 | 8.3 h |
| June 2027 | 4 Jun | Fri 4 Jun | 15 | 10.5 h |
| July 2027 | 3 Jul | Thu 1 Jul | 17 | 10.5 h |
| August 2027 | 2 Aug, 31 Aug | Sun 1 Aug | 16 | 8.3 h |
| September 2027 | 29 Sep | Wed 1 Sep | 15 | 6.0 h |
| October 2027 | 29 Oct | Fri 1 Oct | 17 | 3.3 h |
Tours
Atacama Desert stargazing by month
How nights are scored
We count the hours of full astronomical darkness (sun 18° below the horizon), subtract the time the moon is up weighted by how much of it is lit, and add a little for longer nights. "Milky Way core" counts dark, moon-free hours when the galactic centre is more than 10° above the horizon. Weather is not included; check a cloud forecast a few days out.
Times are local (America/Santiago).