Will it be clear for stargazing in Christchurch tonight?

Overcast for the rest of the night; the Moon (62% lit) rises at 2:29 AM. That is the hourly total-cloud forecast for Christchurch, New Zealand on the night of 2 October 2026, read inside the darkest hours: under 25% cloud counts as clear and 65% or more as cloudy. Rain or showers possible from about 2:00 AM. Most of the cloud is low cloud, which blocks the sky outright.

When does it get dark in Christchurch tonight?

In Christchurch, New Zealand on the night of 2 October 2026, astronomical darkness begins at 9:15 PM and lasts until 5:21 AM GMT+13 — 8 h 6 min of fully dark sky. The Sun sets at 7:37 PM, and nautical twilight ends at 8:40 PM.

Is the Moon up tonight in Christchurch?

On the night of 2 October 2026 in Christchurch, New Zealand, the Moon is a waning gibbous, 62% illuminated. It rises at 2:29 AM and sets at 10:46 AM, GMT+13. 5 h 15 min of the dark window is moon-free.

Which planets can I see from Christchurch tonight?

From Christchurch, New Zealand on the night of 2 October 2026: Venus (9:15 PM–9:15 PM, highest 12° in the W at 9:15 PM, magnitude -4.7); Saturn (9:15 PM–5:21 AM, highest 44° in the N at 1:35 AM, magnitude 0.2). Times are GMT+13; all are visible to the naked eye.

Stargazing forecast

Stargazing forecast for Christchurch, New Zealand

Fri 2 Oct night
43.533° S, 172.633° E
14 m
GMT+13 · Pacific/Auckland

Open the live forecast — sky score, seeing, 7 nights

Tonight at a glance

Overcast for the rest of the night; the Moon (62% lit) rises at 2:29 AM.

Rain or showers possible from about 2:00 AM.
Most of the cloud is low cloud, which blocks the sky outright.

Updated 1:13 AM GMT+13 (2 Oct, 12:13 UTC) · MET Norway forecast issued 2 Oct, 11:25 UTC

Cloud cover: 100%Cloudy
Dark hours: 8 h 6 min9:15 PM–5:21 AM
Moon: 62%5 h 15 min moon-free
Wind: 12 km/hLight
Low temperature: 9°CDuring the dark hours
Dew risk: ModerateAir comes within 2° of the dew point

Photo: Milky Way over Paranal — ESO/A. Ghizzi Panizza (www.albertoghizzipanizza.com), CC BY 4.0

Hourly forecast

Cloud by layer, hour by hour. Darker blue means clearer sky; each cell shows its percentage. Low cloud blocks the sky outright; thin high cloud only dims it.

Hourly cloud cover (%) and conditions tonight in Christchurch
GMT+13	Sat 3																							Sun 4
Hour	1a	2a	3a	4a	5a	6a	7a	8a	9a	10a	11a	12p	1p	2p	3p	4p	5p	6p	7p	8p	9p	10p	11p	12a	1a	2a	3a	4a	5a	6a	7a	8a	9a	10a	11a	12p	1p	2p	3p	4p
Sky: Dark 1a–5a, Astronomical twilight 5a–6a, Civil twilight 6a–7a, Daylight 7a–8p, Nautical twilight 8p–9p, Dark 9p–5a, Astronomical twilight 5a–6a, Civil twilight 6a–7a, Daylight 7a–5p
Total cloud	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	99	100	99	66	62	63	91	27	18	3	20	20	63	63	72	17	4	7	13	76	73	39	10	6	2	1	0	0	0	0
Low cloud	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	98	100	99	76	51	39	60	63	91	27	18	3	20	20	63	63	72	17	4	7	13	76	73	39	10	6	2	1	0	0	0	0
Mid cloud	98	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	99	98	100	98	55	27	3	10	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
High cloud	78	95	99	100	100	100	100	100	63	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sun & Moon
Temperature °C	11	11	11	10	9	9	9	9	10	10	10	11	11	11	12	12	11	11	10	8	8	7	6	6	6	6	5	5	4	4	4	5	8	10	11	12	12	13	13	12
Dew point °C; dew risk (within 2° of the dew point): 6a, 7a, 8a, 11p, 12a, 1a, 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a, 7a, 8a	8	7	7	7	7	8	8	8	7	6	5	5	5	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	5	5	5	5	4	4	4	4	4	3	4	5	5	4	5	5	5	5	5
Wind km/h	12	13	12	13	12	10	10	11	12	14	16	17	21	23	21	20	22	19	15	12	8	9	10	11	11	9	9	8	5	4	5	9	8	12	13	18	20	20	20	21
Rain (mm)	0	0.2	0.2	0.5	0.4	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Cloud cover0–9%10–24%25–44%45–64%65–84%85–100%

SkyDaylightCivil twilightNautical twilightAstronomical twilightDark

Sun altitudeMoon altitude12dew risk (within 2° of the dew point)Scroll sideways for the next 40 hours →

Weather data: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0)

Next 7 nights

Average cloud during each night's dark hours, with the Moon. The first two to three nights use hourly data; later nights use MET Norway's 6-hourly steps and are less certain.

Tonight2 Oct
100%Cloudy
62% · 5 h 20 min moon-free
9:15 PM–5:21 AM
Sat3 Oct
31%Partly cloudy
51% · 6 h 10 min moon-free
9:16 PM–5:19 AM
Sun4 Oct
17%Clear
39% · 6 h 50 min moon-free
9:18 PM–5:17 AM
Mon5 Oct
0%Clear
29% · 7 h 20 min moon-free
9:19 PM–5:15 AM
6-hourly data
Tue6 Oct
35%Partly cloudy
19% · 7 h 50 min moon-free
9:21 PM–5:13 AM
6-hourly data
Wed7 Oct
54%Partly cloudy
11% · 7 h 48 min moon-free
9:22 PM–5:11 AM
6-hourly data
Thu8 Oct
64%Partly cloudy
5% · 7 h 45 min moon-free
9:24 PM–5:09 AM
6-hourly data

Sun & twilight

Twilight ends in three steps. Faint galaxies and the Milky Way need astronomical darkness, when the Sun is more than 18° below the horizon.

Sunset: 7:37 PM
Civil dusk (−6°): 8:06 PM
Nautical dusk (−12°): 8:40 PM
Astronomical dusk (−18°): 9:15 PM
Astronomical dawn (−18°): 5:21 AM
Nautical dawn (−12°): 5:56 AM
Civil dawn (−6°): 6:30 AM
Sunrise: 6:59 AM

Dark window: 9:15 PM – 5:21 AM GMT+13 (8 h 6 min)

The Moon

Waning Gibbous

Illuminated: 62%
Age: 21.0 days
Moonrise: 2:29 AM
Moonset: 10:46 AM
Moon-free dark time: 5 h 15 min

Next phases

Last QuarterSun 4 Oct2:25 AM
New MoonSun 11 Oct4:50 AM
First QuarterMon 19 Oct5:13 AM
Full MoonMon 26 Oct5:12 PM

Next lunar eclipse visible here: Partial · Fri 7 Jul 2028, 6:19 AM · Moon 18° up
Next solar eclipse visible here: Partial · Sat 22 Jul 2028, 4:19 PM · 93% of the Sun covered

Planets tonight

Naked-eye planets that climb more than 10° above the horizon during the astronomically dark hours.

Altitude through the night

Planets tonight — Christchurch
Planet	Rises	Transits (altitude)	Sets	Best seen tonight	Brightness	In
VenusVisible	7:28 AM	3:00 PM · 68°	10:29 PM	9:15 PM–9:15 PM, W	mag -4.7	Virgo
SaturnVisible	7:36 PM	1:30 AM · 44°	7:25 AM	9:15 PM–5:21 AM, N	mag 0.2	Cetus
Jupiter	5:11 AM	10:13 AM · 31°	3:18 PM	Below 10°	mag -1.9	Leo
Mercury	7:44 AM	2:43 PM · 60°	9:42 PM	Below 10°	mag -0.1	Virgo
Mars	4:24 AM	9:04 AM · 26°	1:45 PM	Below 10°	mag 1.1	Cancer

Lower magnitude = brighter. Venus and Jupiter outshine every star.

Sky events — next 90 days

Moon phases, seasons, planet highlights and eclipses, with times for this city.

Oct5Mon
Planet · 1:12 AM
Saturn at opposition
Saturn is opposite the Sun: up all night, and at its closest and brightest for the year.
Oct11Sun
Moon · 4:50 AM
New Moon
Darkest skies of the month for galaxies and the Milky Way.
Oct12Mon
Planet · 11:06 PM
Mercury at greatest evening elongation
25° from the Sun — the best evening view of Mercury, low in the west after sunset.
Oct26Mon
Moon · 5:12 PM
Full Moon
Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.
Oct29Thu
Moon · 7:04 AM
Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)
Closest to Earth this month: 364,397 km.
Nov9Mon
Moon · 8:02 PM
New Moon
Darkest skies of the month for galaxies and the Milky Way.
Nov25Wed
Moon · 3:54 AM
Full Moon
Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.
Nov26Thu
Moon · 10:02 AM
Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)
Closest to Earth this month: 359,335 km.
Dec9Wed
Moon · 1:52 PM
New Moon
Darkest skies of the month for galaxies and the Milky Way.
Dec22Tue
Season · 9:50 AM
Summer solstice
The shortest night of the year — the fewest dark hours.
Dec24Thu
Moon · 2:28 PM
Full Moon
Bright moonlight all night; best for the Moon itself.
Dec24Thu
Moon · 9:32 PM
Moon at perigee near full (a “supermoon”)
Closest to Earth this month: 356,641 km.

Quick answers

Will it be clear for stargazing in Christchurch tonight?: Overcast for the rest of the night; the Moon (62% lit) rises at 2:29 AM. That is the hourly total-cloud forecast for Christchurch, New Zealand on the night of 2 October 2026, read inside the darkest hours: under 25% cloud counts as clear and 65% or more as cloudy. Rain or showers possible from about 2:00 AM. Most of the cloud is low cloud, which blocks the sky outright.
When does it get dark in Christchurch tonight?: In Christchurch, New Zealand on the night of 2 October 2026, astronomical darkness begins at 9:15 PM and lasts until 5:21 AM GMT+13 — 8 h 6 min of fully dark sky. The Sun sets at 7:37 PM, and nautical twilight ends at 8:40 PM.
Is the Moon up tonight in Christchurch?: On the night of 2 October 2026 in Christchurch, New Zealand, the Moon is a waning gibbous, 62% illuminated. It rises at 2:29 AM and sets at 10:46 AM, GMT+13. 5 h 15 min of the dark window is moon-free.
Which planets can I see from Christchurch tonight?: From Christchurch, New Zealand on the night of 2 October 2026: Venus (9:15 PM–9:15 PM, highest 12° in the W at 9:15 PM, magnitude -4.7); Saturn (9:15 PM–5:21 AM, highest 44° in the N at 1:35 AM, magnitude 0.2). Times are GMT+13; all are visible to the naked eye.

Forecast details

Location: 43.533° S, 172.633° E
Elevation: 14 m
Time zone: Pacific/Auckland (GMT+13)
Weather model: MET Norway Locationforecast 2.0
Forecast issued: 2 Oct, 11:25 UTC
Next update expected: ≈ 2 Oct, 12:44 UTC
Page generated: 2 Oct, 12:13 UTC
Astronomy: Computed with astronomy-engine for these coordinates

Computed for 43.533° S, 172.633° E, elevation 14 m, time zone Pacific/Auckland. City centres are light-polluted; the times here apply anywhere within about 50 km, so drive out to darker skies.

Sun, Moon and planet positions are calculated with astronomy-engine. Twilight uses the Sun's geometric centre; sunrise and sunset use the upper limb with standard refraction.

The summary line restates the hourly total-cloud forecast inside the dark window (clear under 25%, cloudy from 65%) and the Moon's times. It is not a score — the Tonight score lives in the app.

Seeing and transparency forecasts are coming to the app first (North America via Environment Canada's model, a worldwide beta elsewhere).

Nearby city forecasts

All forecasts in New Zealand Moon phase calendar Telescope FOV calculator

Get tonight's score on your phone

The Astronight app adds an hourly sky score, the best window, seeing and transparency, and alerts for clear nights.

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