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Galactic Centre viewing is best on 20 May 2026, from 8:21 pm to 5:57 am, reaching 89°.

New Moon
17 May
Darkest skies
Full Moon
2 May
Brightest skies
Best dark window
20 May
12h 26m

Current conditions

Checking the sky near South East Queensland, Australia…

Weather: Open-MeteoForecast point: 27.500° S, 153.000° E

Sky chart: 15 May 2026, 10 pm

South East Queensland, Australia local time.

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All-sky chart for 15 May 2026 at 10 pm, South East Queensland, Australia
North is at the top; east is at the left. Solar System objects shown are above the horizon at 10 pm.

Night planner

Choose a date to see astronomical darkness, Moon interference, Galactic Centre visibility, and planet altitudes and times.

Best low-Moon dark periods this month

  1. 5:31 pm–5:57 am12h 26m · 16% Moon
  2. 5:31 pm–5:57 am12h 26m · 9% Moon
  3. 5:32 pm–5:56 am12h 25m · 3% Moon
Download night-planning CSV →

Galactic Centre sessions

  1. 8:21 pm–5:57 am9h 36m · core to 89°
  2. 8:31 pm–5:57 am9h 26m · core to 88°
  3. 8:32 pm–5:56 am9h 25m · core to 88°
Download Galactic Centre CSV →

Events

  • HIP 69998 lunar occultation10:04 pm to 11:28 pm; Moon at 68° altitude for the first listed contact.
  • HIP 73927 lunar occultation8:13 pm to 9:21 pm; Moon at 36° altitude for the first listed contact.
  • HIP 74219 lunar occultation10:59 pm; Moon at 72° altitude for the first listed contact.

May highlights

  1. Occultations

    HIP 66512 lunar occultation

    3:01 am to 3:58 am; Moon at 31° altitude for the first listed contact.

  2. Meteor showers

    Eta Aquariids

    Peak conditions: 88% Moon illumination; 34° altitude predawn.

  3. Milky Way

    Milky Way core window

    9h 36m with 89° altitude.

  4. Comets

    Comet 24P

    65° altitude; magnitude 17.4.

  5. Planets

    Neptune

    Best monthly date at 54° altitude.

Moon phases

99%
74%
10%
36%
94%

For faint deep-sky objects, observe when the Moon is below the horizon or weakly illuminated. For lunar relief, observe near the terminator; full Moon is best suited to ray systems and albedo features.

Download Moon phase CSV →

Planet visibility

Evening

  • Jupiter4 May · 5:30 pm38° · Good
  • Venus31 May · 5:30 pm20° · Fair
  • Uranus4 May · 5:30 pm8° · Poor

Predawn

  • Neptune31 May · 6:00 am54° · Excellent
  • Saturn31 May · 6:00 am48° · Excellent
  • Mars31 May · 6:00 am22° · Fair
  • Mercury5 May · 6:00 am7° · Poor
Download planet CSV →

Data and downloads