Mauna Kea stargazing in December 2026
Stargazing at the visitor station (2,800 m). The summit requires 4x4 and acclimatisation.
Tue 1 Dec to Thu 31 Dec 2026
Best night: Sat 5 December 2026
Dark from 19:02 to 05:27 · 9.8 h without the moon · Milky Way core: below horizon
| Night of | Moon | Dark hours | Moon-free | Milky Way core | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 Dec | 39% | 10.5 | 6.2 | below horizon | 86 |
| Wed 2 Dec | 28% | 10.5 | 7.2 | below horizon | 92 |
| Thu 3 Dec | 19% | 10.5 | 8.0 | below horizon | 96 |
| Fri 4 Dec | 12% | 10.5 | 9.0 | below horizon | 99 |
| Sat 5 Dec | 6% | 10.5 | 9.8 | below horizon | 100 |
| Sun 6 Dec | 2% | 10.5 | 10.5 | below horizon | 100 |
| Mon 7 Dec | 0% | 10.5 | 10.5 | below horizon | 100 |
| Tue 8 Dec | 0% | 10.5 | 10.5 | below horizon | 100 |
| Wed 9 Dec | 2% | 10.5 | 10.5 | below horizon | 100 |
| Thu 10 Dec | 5% | 10.5 | 10.0 | below horizon | 100 |
| Fri 11 Dec | 10% | 10.5 | 9.2 | below horizon | 99 |
| Sat 12 Dec | 16% | 10.5 | 8.3 | below horizon | 97 |
| Sun 13 Dec | 24% | 10.5 | 7.5 | below horizon | 94 |
| Mon 14 Dec | 33% | 10.5 | 6.7 | below horizon | 90 |
| Tue 15 Dec | 43% | 10.5 | 5.8 | below horizon | 84 |
| Wed 16 Dec | 53% | 10.5 | 4.8 | below horizon | 76 |
| Thu 17 Dec | 64% | 10.5 | 4.0 | below horizon | 67 |
| Fri 18 Dec | 74% | 10.5 | 3.0 | below horizon | 55 |
| Sat 19 Dec | 83% | 10.5 | 2.0 | below horizon | 43 |
| Sun 20 Dec | 90% | 10.5 | 1.0 | below horizon | 30 |
| Mon 21 Dec | 96% | 10.5 | 0.0 | below horizon | 18 |
| Tue 22 Dec | 99% | 10.5 | 0.0 | below horizon | 16 |
| Wed 23 Dec | 100% | 10.5 | 0.0 | below horizon | 15 |
| Thu 24 Dec | 98% | 10.5 | 0.0 | below horizon | 17 |
| Fri 25 Dec | 93% | 10.5 | 0.8 | below horizon | 28 |
| Sat 26 Dec | 85% | 10.5 | 1.8 | below horizon | 40 |
| Sun 27 Dec | 76% | 10.5 | 3.0 | below horizon | 54 |
| Mon 28 Dec | 66% | 10.5 | 3.8 | below horizon | 64 |
| Tue 29 Dec | 55% | 10.5 | 4.8 | below horizon | 75 |
| Wed 30 Dec | 45% | 10.5 | 5.7 | below horizon | 83 |
| Thu 31 Dec | 34% | 10.5 | 6.7 | below horizon | 89 |
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Questions
What is the best night for stargazing at Mauna Kea in December 2026?
The best nights are Sat 5 Dec, Sun 6 Dec, Mon 7 Dec, Tue 8 Dec, Wed 9 Dec, when the sky is fully dark and the moon is down for most of the night.
Can you see the Milky Way core at Mauna Kea in December?
Not really: in December the galactic centre is below the horizon or only up in twilight or moonlight.
Mauna Kea stargazing by month
Weather is not included. Times are local (Pacific/Honolulu).