The Night Sky in Idaho
This year's meteor showers, moon phases, and the darkest places to watch from in Idaho.
Data updated: August 2026Sources & method · Corrections
The best stargazing in Idaho comes on clear, moonless nights, and January, November and December give you the most of them to work with — about 15.2 hours of darkness at the December peak, computed from Idaho'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.
Idaho combines a small population with enormous stretches of public land, which keeps much of the state remarkably free of light pollution. The mountainous center of the state — the Sawtooths, the Salmon River country, and the high desert around the Snake River Plain — holds some of the darkest, clearest skies left in the Lower 48, helped along by dry air and long stretches of cloudless nights. Central Idaho is home to the first International Dark Sky Reserve ever designated in the United States, and even outside that reserve, a short drive from Boise, Idaho Falls, or Coeur d'Alene is usually enough to put a genuinely dark sky overhead.
Dark-sky places in Idaho
- Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve — The first International Dark Sky Reserve ever designated in the United States, spanning the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and the mountain towns of Stanley, Sun Valley, and Ketchum, with some of the darkest measured skies in the country.
- Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve — A remote lava-field landscape in south-central Idaho with a wide-open horizon and little nearby development, making for excellent naked-eye and telescope viewing on clear nights.
- Bruneau Dunes State Park — Home to a public observatory in the southwestern Idaho desert, staffed by local astronomers on clear nights and set well away from the Boise area's light dome.
- National forest and public desert land in northern and eastern Idaho — Remote stretches well away from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Falls, and other towns offer wide-open, unobstructed views on clear nights.
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 Idaho nights are worth the drive
The year's meteor peaks with the moon already worked out, and the darkest places in Idaho to watch them from.
The complete The Night Sky over Idaho
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 Idaho.