Mauna Kea stargazing: best night for your trip
Stargazing at the visitor station (2,800 m). The summit requires 4x4 and acclimatisation. 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 19:00 to 05:11 · 10.2 h without the moon · Milky Way core: 0.5 h
| Night of | Moon | Dark hours | Moon-free | Milky Way core | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2 Nov | 33% | 10.2 | 6.5 | 0.8 h | 90 |
| Tue 3 Nov | 23% | 10.2 | 7.5 | 0.7 h | 95 |
| Wed 4 Nov | 15% | 10.2 | 8.3 | 0.7 h | 98 |
| Thu 5 Nov | 8% | 10.2 | 9.3 | 0.5 h | 99 |
| Fri 6 Nov | 3% | 10.3 | 10.2 | 0.5 h | 100 |
| Sat 7 Nov | 1% | 10.3 | 10.3 | 0.5 h | 100 |
| Sun 8 Nov | 0% | 10.3 | 10.3 | below horizon | 100 |
| Mon 9 Nov | 2% | 10.3 | 10.3 | below horizon | 100 |
| Tue 10 Nov | 5% | 10.3 | 10.3 | below horizon | 100 |
| Wed 11 Nov | 10% | 10.3 | 9.5 | below horizon | 99 |
| Thu 12 Nov | 16% | 10.3 | 8.7 | below horizon | 98 |
| Fri 13 Nov | 23% | 10.3 | 7.7 | below horizon | 95 |
| Sat 14 Nov | 31% | 10.3 | 6.8 | below horizon | 91 |
| Sun 15 Nov | 41% | 10.3 | 6.0 | below horizon | 86 |
| Mon 16 Nov | 50% | 10.3 | 5.0 | below horizon | 78 |
| Tue 17 Nov | 60% | 10.3 | 4.2 | below horizon | 69 |
| Wed 18 Nov | 70% | 10.3 | 3.3 | below horizon | 60 |
| Thu 19 Nov | 79% | 10.3 | 2.5 | below horizon | 49 |
| Fri 20 Nov | 87% | 10.3 | 1.5 | below horizon | 37 |
| Sat 21 Nov | 93% | 10.3 | 0.5 | below horizon | 24 |
| Sun 22 Nov | 98% | 10.3 | 0.0 | below horizon | 17 |
| Mon 23 Nov | 100% | 10.5 | 0.0 | below horizon | 15 |
| Tue 24 Nov | 99% | 10.5 | 0.0 | below horizon | 16 |
| Wed 25 Nov | 96% | 10.5 | 0.0 | below horizon | 19 |
| Thu 26 Nov | 90% | 10.5 | 1.0 | below horizon | 31 |
| Fri 27 Nov | 82% | 10.5 | 2.2 | below horizon | 45 |
| Sat 28 Nov | 72% | 10.5 | 3.3 | below horizon | 58 |
| Sun 29 Nov | 61% | 10.5 | 4.3 | below horizon | 70 |
| Mon 30 Nov | 49% | 10.5 | 5.3 | below horizon | 79 |
| Tue 1 Dec | 38% | 10.5 | 6.3 | below horizon | 87 |
Best night each month
| Month | New moon | Best night | Good nights | Core on best night |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | 8 Nov | Fri 6 Nov | 17 | 0.5 h |
| December 2026 | 8 Dec | Sat 5 Dec | 19 | not visible |
| January 2027 | 7 Jan | Mon 4 Jan | 18 | not visible |
| February 2027 | 6 Feb | Mon 8 Feb | 15 | 1.2 h |
| March 2027 | 7 Mar | Mon 8 Mar | 18 | 2.8 h |
| April 2027 | 6 Apr | Wed 7 Apr | 16 | 4.3 h |
| May 2027 | 6 May | Fri 7 May | 16 | 5.8 h |
| June 2027 | 4 Jun | Sat 5 Jun | 15 | 7.5 h |
| July 2027 | 3 Jul | Fri 30 Jul | 16 | 5.7 h |
| August 2027 | 2 Aug, 31 Aug | Sun 29 Aug | 16 | 4.2 h |
| September 2027 | 29 Sep | Wed 1 Sep | 16 | 4.0 h |
| October 2027 | 29 Oct | Fri 1 Oct | 17 | 2.3 h |
Tours
Mauna Kea 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 (Pacific/Honolulu).