Stargazing in Gero, Gifu, Japan

Dark-sky rating for Gero

Gero, Gifu, Japan is a small town (population about 35,000). A place this size typically has a rural sky: the Milky Way is usually visible on clear, moonless nights away from local lighting. That is an estimate of Bortle class 1–4 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

• Nobeyama Radio Observatory · observatory · about 113 km away

Milky Way season in Gero

The bright core of the Milky Way stays low, so you need a clear southern or northern horizon. It climbs at least 20° above the horizon during astronomical darkness in March, April, May, June, July, August, September, peaking in June at about 25°.

• The north celestial pole stands 35.8° above the horizon, so stars within 36° of it never set from here.
• About 79.2% 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 25.2° up, staying low, so a clear southern horizon matters.
• At 781 m elevation, roughly 9% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.

Tonight and aurora

As of October 14, 2026 (UTC) the Moon is a Waxing Crescent at 14% illumination. Aurora at 35.8° latitude generally needs about Kp 9.0.

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• Gifu, Gifu, Japan
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