The Night Sky in Georgia
This year's meteor showers, moon phases, and the darkest places to watch from in Georgia.
Data updated: August 2026Sources & method · Corrections
The best stargazing in Georgia comes on clear, moonless nights, and January, November and December give you the most of them to work with — about 14.0 hours of darkness at the December peak, computed from Georgia'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.
Georgia's stargazing conditions vary widely across the state. The Atlanta metro area casts a large dome of light pollution that dims the night sky for many miles in every direction, while the mountainous north Georgia and the rural, sparsely populated south offer much darker conditions. Summer's humidity and haze, common throughout the Southeast, can soften views, so the clearer, drier air of fall and winter often rewards stargazers with the crispest skies. The farther visitors get from Atlanta and the state's other cities, the more stars — and more of the Milky Way — become visible on clear, moonless nights.
Dark-sky places in Georgia
- Black Rock Mountain State Park — Perched near Clayton in the Blue Ridge Mountains of northeast Georgia, this is the highest-elevation state park in the state at around 3,640 feet. Its ridge-top overlooks sit well above the haze of the valleys below and far from any large city, giving clear nights sharp, high-contrast views of the sky.
- Cloudland Canyon State Park — Set atop Lookout Mountain in the far northwest corner of the state, this park's remote, elevated location keeps it well removed from city light domes, and its canyon-rim overlooks offer good open-sky viewing on clear nights.
- F.D. Roosevelt State Park — Spread across Pine Mountain in west-central Georgia, this park sits away from the light glow of Atlanta and Columbus, with wooded ridgelines and open picnic areas that offer decent sightlines for stargazing.
- Stephen C. Foster State Park (Okefenokee Swamp) — Located deep in the Okefenokee Swamp in the far southeast corner of the state, this park is one of the most remote and thinly populated spots in Georgia, with little artificial light for many miles around, making it one of the best places in the state to see the Milky Way.
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 Georgia nights are worth the drive
The year's meteor peaks with the moon already worked out, and the darkest places in Georgia to watch them from.
The complete The Night Sky over Georgia
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 Georgia.