Stargazing rankings for 27 cities across South Africa. Cities are sorted by current overall score (sky darkness, moon, weather, and viewing window).
Lightest Skies in South Africa
The lightest skies in South Africa right now are in Thembisa (36), followed by Randburg (36), Pretoria (36). Currently, 13 out of 27 monitored cities in South Africa have a stargazing score below 40.
Thembisa
South Africa
Current score
Randburg
South Africa
Current score
Pretoria
South Africa
Current score
Johannesburg
South Africa
Current score
Soweto
South Africa
Current score
Roodepoort
South Africa
Current score
Krugersdorp
South Africa
Current score
Brakpan
South Africa
Current score
Boksburg
South Africa
Current score
Benoni
South Africa
Current score
Soshanguve
South Africa
Current score
Vereeniging
South Africa
Current score
Evaton
South Africa
Current score
Durban
South Africa
Current score
Rustenburg
South Africa
Current score
Polokwane
South Africa
Current score
Pietermaritzburg
South Africa
Current score
Emalahleni
South Africa
Current score
Richards Bay
South Africa
Current score
Welkom
South Africa
Current score
Newcastle
South Africa
Current score
Botshabelo
South Africa
Current score
Bloemfontein
South Africa
Current score
East London
South Africa
Current score
Cape Town
South Africa
Current score
Port Elizabeth
South Africa
Current score
Kariega
South Africa
Current score
Understanding Sky Darkness Score
Excellent
Very dark skies with minimal artificial light. Ideal for deep-sky observation.
Good
Dark skies suitable for most stargazing. Some distant glow may be visible.
Moderate
Noticeable sky glow from nearby towns. Brighter objects remain visible.
Poor
Strong light pollution limits visibility of fainter stars and the Milky Way.
Severe
Heavy urban sky glow. Only the brightest stars and planets are easy to see.
The sky darkness score runs from 0 to 100. Higher scores mean darker skies with less artificial light at night. Lower scores indicate brighter, more light-polluted skies.
Last updated: 20 Sep 17:49
