Stargazing in Gaborone, Gaborone, Botswana

Dark-sky rating for Gaborone

Gaborone, Gaborone, Botswana is a small city (population about 246,325). A place this size typically has a rural to suburban transition: the Milky Way core can be glimpsed on clear, moonless nights. That is an estimate of Bortle class 4–5 from population, not a measurement: the real value depends on the exact spot you observe from.

For a measured reading at any point, open the live Dark Sky map.

Nearest dark-sky places and observatories

No certified dark-sky place or observatory in our registry lies within 150 km of Gaborone. Our list only includes genuine, publicly documented sites, so none is shown rather than guessed.

Milky Way season in Gaborone

The bright core of the Milky Way passes almost directly overhead. It climbs at least 20° above the horizon during astronomical darkness in February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, peaking in April at about 85°.

• The south celestial pole stands 24.7° above the horizon, so stars within 25° of it never set from here.
• About 70.9% of the whole sky rises above the horizon at some point in the year from this latitude.
• The Milky Way's core in Sagittarius culminates about 85.7° up, passing almost directly overhead.
• The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are circumpolar here — visible on any clear, dark night of the year.
• At 1011 m elevation, roughly 11% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.

Tonight and aurora

As of October 16, 2026 (UTC) the Moon is a Waxing Crescent at 26% illumination. Aurora at 24.7° latitude generally needs about Kp 9.0.

Nearby places

• Rustenburg, North West, South Africa
• Brits, North West, South Africa
• Soshanguve, Gauteng, South Africa
• Carletonville, Gauteng, South Africa
• Krugersdorp, Gauteng, South Africa
• Randfontein, Gauteng, South Africa