How dark is the sky in Rotorua?
Where is the nearest dark sky to Rotorua?
Lights around Rotorua seen from orbit
NASA satellite image of light at night, 2025. The rings mark distances from Rotorua.
Where are the darkest skies near Rotorua?
The darkest places you can drive to, up to 50, 100 and 150 km from Rotorua. Roadless country nearby can be darker still.
None of these spots can be reached by car: there are no roads to them, or only by ferry or a long hike. Use them to see where the darkest land is.
A spot closed at night, or a number that looks wrong? Let us know.
Where are the observatories near Rotorua?
Observatories within 150 km, with the modeled sky at each. Older ones often sit inside towns, newer ones were built where it is dark. Many are research or club sites, so check opening times before you go.
Almost black on purpose: there's next to no artificial light within this circle. This is what a dark sky looks like from orbit.
Which towns light up the Rotorua horizon?
The compass shows where the glow on the horizon comes from, counting all light more than 5 km away. The table names the towns behind it, including Rotorua's own outskirts.
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Has the sky over Rotorua gotten brighter?
Each point is how much artificial light added to the natural brightness of the sky overhead that year: 0% is a natural sky, 100% means twice as bright. Same satellite every year; it barely sees the blue part of white LED light, so recent years probably read too dark.
Clear nights in Rotorua by month
The average number of nights each month with less than 30% cloud, from NASA POWER satellite records.
When will the Milky Way be visible in Rotorua in 2027?
Nights in each month when the Milky Way core stands more than 10° above the horizon for at least an hour of moonless astronomical darkness. At 38.1° south the core climbs to about 81° high, passing just north of overhead, so it clears any horizon. These are calculated positions of the sun, moon and Milky Way; whether a night is clear is only known closer to the date.