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Dover Castle

Dover Castle

Castle Hill Road, Dover, Kent, CT16 1HU, South East England

Best time to visit

Dover Castle is a private location and is only accessible out of normal hours for stargazing by prior arrangement or when public events are scheduled.

Weather forecast

  • 18/06/26

    23° 54%

  • 18/06/26

    22° 27%

  • 18/06/26

    20° 4%

  • 19/06/26

    19° 4%

Weather forecast for Dover (0.3 miles away) updated 17/06/26 at 12:01. Powered by Met Office data.

Local light pollution

Dover Castle is estimated to have light pollution levels similar to a suburban location based on the latest data from the VIIRS satellite. For more advanced light pollution data, view this location on DarkSkySites.

The above demonstrates the estimated effect of light pollution - graphics created using Stellarium.

Light pollution map of Dover Castle

Best time to visit

The Moon has a big impact on the visibility of celestial bodies in the night sky. Try to plan your stargazing when there is no bright Moon at night as this is when the skies will be at their darkest.

The below chart shows when the skies will be at their darkest at this location and therefore the best time to visit. Moonlight is shown in light yellow and the Sun's twilight in light blue. Midnight on the date shown is shown as a white line with sunset to the left and sunrise the next morning to the right. A black background with stars shows the best times for stargazing. See our dark sky calendar for more details.

Moon phase on Thu 18th Jun

Thu 18th Jun

Waxing Crescent
12 % illuminated
Dark from 23:00 to 01:40
Dark for 2h 40m
Moon phase on Fri 19th Jun

Fri 19th Jun

Waxing Crescent
20 % illuminated
Dark from 23:16 to 01:40
Dark for 2h 24m
Moon phase on Sat 20th Jun

Sat 20th Jun

Waxing Crescent
30 % illuminated
Dark from 23:29 to 01:40
Dark for 2h 11m
Moon phase on Sun 21st Jun

Sun 21st Jun

First Quarter
41 % illuminated
Dark from 23:40 to 01:40
Dark for 2h 0m
Moon phase on Mon 22nd Jun

Mon 22nd Jun

First Quarter
51 % illuminated
Dark from 23:52 to 01:41
Dark for 1h 49m
Moon phase on Tue 23rd Jun

Tue 23rd Jun

First Quarter
61 % illuminated
Dark from 00:05 to 01:41
Dark for 1h 36m
Moon phase on Wed 24th Jun

Wed 24th Jun

Waxing Gibbous
70 % illuminated
Dark from 00:20 to 01:42
Dark for 1h 22m

Find more dates

If you are planning to visit this location check our dark sky calendar to find out when is best!

Calendar

Events nearby

Display nearby events on a calendar

  • Coastal Astronomers Society monthly meeting

    Saturday 20th June 2026 from 14:00pm to 16:00pm

    West Bay Cafe, Margate, CT8 8QZ (17.7 miles away)

    More info

  • Ashford Astronomical Society Meeting & Observing

    Friday 26th June 2026 from 19:30pm to 21:30pm

    Woodchurch Memorial Hall, Woodchurch, TN26 3QB (24.1 miles away)

    More info

  • South East Kent Astronomical Society meeting

    Thursday 9th July 2026 from 19:30pm to 21:00pm

    Alkham Village Hall, Alkham, CT15 7AR (4.3 miles away)

    More info

  • Coastal Astronomers Society monthly meeting

    Saturday 18th July 2026 from 14:00pm to 16:00pm

    West Bay Cafe, Margate, CT8 8QZ (17.7 miles away)

    More info

  • Ashford Astronomical Society Meeting & Observing

    Friday 31st July 2026 from 19:30pm to 21:30pm

    Woodchurch Memorial Hall, Woodchurch, TN26 3QB (24.1 miles away)

    More info

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