The Night Sky in California
This year's meteor showers, moon phases, and the darkest places to watch from in California.
Data updated: August 2026Sources & method · Corrections
The best stargazing in California comes on clear, moonless nights, and January, November and December give you the most of them to work with — about 14.3 hours of darkness at the December peak, computed from California's own sun times. Below: this year's meteor-shower peaks and how bright the moon will be for each, a month-by-month new- and full-moon calendar, and the darkest places to watch from.
California's enormous size and varied geography make it a state of two very different night skies. Along the coast and around the Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, and San Diego metro regions, light pollution and marine layer fog often wash out all but the brightest stars. Head inland to the state's deserts, mountains, and far northern reaches, however, and conditions change dramatically: dry air, high elevation, and vast stretches of sparsely populated public land make parts of California among the best stargazing destinations in the country, including a couple of places recognized among the darkest in the world.
Dark-sky places in California
- Death Valley National Park — Death Valley is a Gold Tier International Dark Sky Park, one of the largest and darkest such parks in the world, thanks to its extreme remoteness and the near-total absence of nearby development. On a clear, moonless night, the Milky Way is easily visible to the naked eye across most of the park.
- Joshua Tree National Park — Joshua Tree is a certified International Dark Sky Park that pairs high desert elevation with open, rocky terrain for wide, unobstructed views overhead. It sits far enough from the Los Angeles area for genuinely dark skies, though a faint glow from the city is sometimes visible low on the horizon on busy nights.
- Anza-Borrego Desert State Park — California's largest state park sits in a remote stretch of desert in San Diego County, well away from major development, and has long been popular with amateur astronomers for its clear, dark skies.
- Eastern Sierra and far Northern California backcountry — Beyond these well-known parks, the high-elevation backcountry of the Eastern Sierra and the sparsely populated national forest land in the state's far north offer similarly excellent viewing for anyone willing to drive to higher, drier, more remote ground.
Ranger programs, star parties and opening hours change season to season — check with the site before you drive out.
The sky this month (August)
The moon in August: New moon Aug 12 · Full moon Aug 28. Darkest skies fall around Aug 7–Aug 17, near the new moon.
Meteor showers peaking in August:
| Meteor shower | Peak | Meteors/hr | Moon | Best time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perseids | Aug 12 | 100 | 0% near-new | late evening to dawn |
Meteor showers in 2026
| Meteor shower | Peak | Meteors/hr | Moon | Best time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quadrantids | Jan 3 | 120 | 100% near-full | after midnight into dawn |
| Lyrids | Apr 22 | 18 | 29% crescent | after midnight |
| Eta Aquariids | May 6 | 50 | 83% gibbous | pre-dawn (better in the South) |
| Southern Delta Aquariids | Jul 30 | 25 | 100% near-full | pre-dawn |
| Perseids | Aug 12 | 100 | 0% near-new | late evening to dawn |
| Draconids | Oct 8 | 10 | 7% crescent | early evening |
| Orionids | Oct 21 | 20 | 74% gibbous | after midnight |
| Southern Taurids | Nov 5 | 5 | 16% crescent | late evening (slow, bright fireballs) |
| Northern Taurids | Nov 12 | 5 | 8% crescent | late evening (slow, bright fireballs) |
| Leonids | Nov 17 | 15 | 48% quarter moon | after midnight |
| Geminids | Dec 14 | 150 | 22% crescent | evening to dawn (best all year) |
| Ursids | Dec 22 | 10 | 95% near-full | after midnight |
Moon phases in 2026
| Month | New moon (darkest) | Full moon |
|---|---|---|
| January | Jan 18 | Jan 3 |
| February | Feb 17 | Feb 1 |
| March | Mar 18 | Mar 3 |
| April | Apr 17 | Apr 1 |
| May | May 16 | May 1, May 31 |
| June | Jun 14 | Jun 29 |
| July | Jul 14 | Jul 29 |
| August | Aug 12 | Aug 28 |
| September | Sep 10 | Sep 26 |
| October | Oct 10 | Oct 26 |
| November | Nov 9 | Nov 24 |
| December | Dec 8 | Dec 23 |
Which California nights are worth the drive
The year's meteor peaks with the moon already worked out, and the darkest places in California to watch them from.
The complete The Night Sky over California
A stargazing companion for the state that does not expire: the meteor calendar, the darkest places, and how to read any year's sky.
Want it on paper? See the printable The Night Sky over California.