WhenToStargaze

Stargazing in Rockhampton tonight

Australia · -23.38°, 150.51°

Stargazing verdict · tonight

Fair

Fair — stars visible, but not the best conditions.

  • ›A bright waxing gibbous (71% lit) will wash out fainter stars.
  • ›About 9 hours of true darkness to work with.

Your sky map — scrub through time

A live map of the sky above Rockhampton: the Moon, planets, bright stars and constellations, exactly where they are. Drag the sliders to move through the night — or forward and back by days — and watch everything shift.

The sky over Rockhampton
Mon 21 Sept, 22:00 · looking up — N at top, E to the left
Day
Time of night22:00

Drag the sliders to travel through time — watch the Moon, planets and constellations rise, set and shift. Positions are computed live for Rockhampton.

Tonight's sky in Rockhampton

🌔 Moon
Waxing Gibbous
71% lit
🌑 Darkness
19:08–04:33
9h of dark
🌇 Sun
sets 17:53
rises 05:48
🌙 Moon rise/set
up 12:53
down 02:47

Planets visible tonight

♀ Venus
Best evening · toward the W · 20° up
♂ Mars
Best early hours · toward the NE · 24° up
♃ Jupiter
Best early hours · toward the NE · 10° up
♄ Saturn
Best most of the night · toward the NE · 62° up

Best nights to stargaze — next two weeks

Ranked by how dark the sky will be (less Moon = better). Pair with a clear-sky forecast on the night.

Mon 21 Sept
21 Sept
75% moon
Tue 22 Sept
22 Sept
83% moon
Wed 23 Sept
23 Sept
90% moon
Thu 24 Sept
24 Sept
95% moon
Fri 25 Sept
25 Sept
99% moon
Sat 26 Sept
26 Sept
100% moon
Sun 27 Sept
27 Sept
99% moon
Mon 28 Sept
28 Sept
96% moon
Tue 29 Sept
29 Sept
90% moon
Wed 30 Sept
30 Sept
82% moon
Thu 1 Oct
1 Oct
72% moon
Fri 2 Oct
2 Oct
61% moon
Sat 3 Oct
3 Oct
50% moon
Sun 4 Oct
4 Oct
39% moon

Upcoming sky events from Rockhampton

4 October
Saturn at opposition
Saturn reaches opposition on 4 October — directly opposite the Sun, so it rises at sunset, sets at sunrise and is at its biggest and brightest of the year. The best night to catch the rings through even a small telescope.
26 September · lesser-known
Neptune at opposition
The most distant planet reaches opposition on 26 September — its brightest for the year, though still faint. A rewarding challenge target: Neptune shows as a tiny blue-grey disc through a telescope. One for the keen.
14 December
Geminid meteor shower
Widely considered the best shower of the year: slow, bright, often colourful meteors at up to ~150 per hour under dark skies. In 2026 the Moon is only a young crescent at the 13–14 December peak, so conditions are excellent.
21 October · lesser-known
Orionid meteor shower
Fast, faint meteors — debris from Halley's Comet — peaking around 21 October at ~20 per hour. A quieter, connoisseur's shower; moonlight hampers the 2026 peak, so aim for the darkest hours.
17 November · lesser-known
Leonid meteor shower
The Leonids peak around 17 November at ~15 fast meteors an hour. Famous for rare, spectacular storms every ~33 years; 2026 is a normal year, but still a pleasant pre-dawn watch.
Moon phase for Rockhampton →All sky events

Stargazing in Rockhampton — FAQ

Is tonight good for stargazing in Rockhampton?

Fair — stars visible, but not the best conditions. A bright waxing gibbous (71% lit) will wash out fainter stars. Check the live cloud forecast above, which updates through the day.

What planets are visible from Rockhampton tonight?

Tonight you can spot Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn above the horizon from Rockhampton, conditions permitting.

When is the best night to stargaze in Rockhampton soon?

The darkest upcoming night is around Sun 4 Oct, when the Moon is only 39% lit.

Times are local to Rockhampton (Australia/Brisbane). Astronomical data is computed from established models; the cloud forecast is live from Open-Meteo and refreshes through the day. Always confirm with a live forecast before travelling to a dark-sky site.