Scores are estimated from moon phase, moonlight interference and dark-window timing for Hualien. This first version does not include cloud cover, so always check weather.
🌌 This month the galactic core is mostly above the horizon during daytime and hard to shoot at night. Milky Way season runs roughly Feb–Oct, with May–Aug best; the higher the latitude, the shorter it stays up each night.
| Date | Score | Tonight's Moon | Dark window |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-12-05 | 92 · Good | Waning Crescent 14% | 18:26-05:01 |
| 2026-12-06 | 92 · Good | Waning Crescent 8% | 18:26-05:02 |
| 2026-12-07 | 92 · Good | Waning Crescent 3% | 18:27-05:02 |
| 2026-12-08 | 92 · Good | Waning Crescent 1% | 18:27-05:03 |
| 2026-12-09 | 92 · Good | New Moon 0% | 18:27-05:04 |
| Date | Score | Tonight's Moon | Moonrise | Moonset | Dark window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-12-01 | 74 · Fair | Last Quarter 51% | -- | 12:02 | 18:25-04:59 |
| 2026-12-02 | 74 · Fair | Waning Crescent 40% | 00:04 | 12:36 | 18:26-04:59 |
| 2026-12-03 | 84 · Good | Waning Crescent 30% | 01:00 | 13:08 | 18:26-05:00 |
| 2026-12-04 | 84 · Good | Waning Crescent 21% | 01:55 | 13:41 | 18:26-05:01 |
| 2026-12-05 | 92 · Good | Waning Crescent 14% | 02:50 | 14:15 | 18:26-05:01 |
| 2026-12-06 | 92 · Good | Waning Crescent 8% | 03:45 | 14:52 | 18:26-05:02 |
| 2026-12-07 | 92 · Good | Waning Crescent 3% | 04:41 | 15:32 | 18:27-05:02 |
| 2026-12-08 | 92 · Good | Waning Crescent 1% | 05:37 | 16:17 | 18:27-05:03 |
| 2026-12-09 | 92 · Good | New Moon 0% | 06:32 | 17:06 | 18:27-05:04 |
| 2026-12-10 | 92 · Good | Waxing Crescent 1% | 07:24 | 17:58 | 18:27-05:04 |
| 2026-12-11 | 92 · Good | Waxing Crescent 4% | 08:12 | 18:52 | 18:28-05:05 |
| 2026-12-12 | 92 · Good | Waxing Crescent 9% | 08:56 | 19:47 | 18:28-05:05 |
| 2026-12-13 | 92 · Good | Waxing Crescent 14% | 09:35 | 20:40 | 18:28-05:06 |
| 2026-12-14 | 84 · Good | Waxing Crescent 22% | 10:10 | 21:33 | 18:29-05:06 |
| 2026-12-15 | 84 · Good | Waxing Crescent 30% | 10:43 | 22:25 | 18:29-05:07 |
| 2026-12-16 | 84 · Good | Waxing Crescent 39% | 11:14 | 23:18 | 18:29-05:08 |
| 2026-12-17 | 74 · Fair | First Quarter 49% | 11:45 | -- | 18:30-05:08 |
| 2026-12-18 | 74 · Fair | Waxing Gibbous 59% | 12:17 | 00:11 | 18:30-05:09 |
| 2026-12-19 | 52 · Fair | Waxing Gibbous 70% | 12:51 | 01:07 | 18:31-05:09 |
| 2026-12-20 | 52 · Fair | Waxing Gibbous 79% | 13:30 | 02:07 | 18:31-05:10 |
| 2026-12-21 | 40 · Poor | Waxing Gibbous 88% | 14:16 | 03:11 | 18:31-05:10 |
| 2026-12-22 | 40 · Poor | Waxing Gibbous 94% | 15:10 | 04:19 | 18:32-05:11 |
| 2026-12-23 | 40 · Poor | Waxing Gibbous 99% | 16:13 | 05:30 | 18:32-05:11 |
| 2026-12-24 | 40 · Poor | Full Moon 100% | 17:22 | 06:38 | 18:33-05:12 |
| 2026-12-25 | 40 · Poor | Waning Gibbous 98% | 18:35 | 07:40 | 18:33-05:12 |
| 2026-12-26 | 40 · Poor | Waning Gibbous 93% | 19:45 | 08:33 | 18:34-05:12 |
| 2026-12-27 | 40 · Poor | Waning Gibbous 86% | 20:52 | 09:19 | 18:34-05:13 |
| 2026-12-28 | 52 · Fair | Waning Gibbous 77% | 21:54 | 09:59 | 18:35-05:13 |
| 2026-12-29 | 52 · Fair | Waning Gibbous 67% | 22:53 | 10:35 | 18:35-05:14 |
| 2026-12-30 | 74 · Fair | Waning Gibbous 57% | 23:50 | 11:09 | 18:36-05:14 |
| 2026-12-31 | 74 · Fair | Last Quarter 46% | -- | 11:42 | 18:36-05:14 |
The Hualien calendar combines Moon phase, dark windows, and short-range conditions, but the score still needs local context and light pollution checks.
Score
High scores mean friendlier moonlight and night windows, and short-range views can include cloud and transparency. Local fog, patchy cloud, and nearby lights can still change the outcome.
Moonlight
Full-moon periods light the landscape but reduce faint-star and Milky Way contrast. For the Milky Way, meteors, or deep-sky targets, new-moon periods are usually better.
Dark window
Dark outside is not always dark enough. The dark window considers twilight ending, Moon rise and set, and the length of usable night.
After choosing a good date, confirm location, direction, and hourly weather for the night.
Short range
Moon phase can be planned months ahead, but cloud needs a short-range forecast. For the actual night, use hourly stargazing index and on-site observation.
Place
High elevation may help with low cloud, but nearby lights can still wash out the sky. Use the dark-sky map to remove weak candidates first.
Direction
A site may only work for certain horizons. Use the sky map to check the galactic center, Moon, and constellations before facing sea, mountains, or city lights.
Grouped by driving reachability and straight-line distance. Bortle is a long-term darkness class, not a live score for tonight.
Related tools: Stargazing & Moon Viewing Score · This month’s Moon phase calendar · Astronomy Calendar · Meteor Showers