The Night Sky in Kansas
This year's meteor showers, moon phases, and the darkest places to watch from in Kansas.
Data updated: August 2026Sources & method · Corrections
The best stargazing in Kansas comes on clear, moonless nights, and January, November and December give you the most of them to work with — about 14.5 hours of darkness at the December peak, computed from Kansas'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.
Kansas is one of the better stargazing states in the central US, thanks to its low population density and enormous stretches of flat, open plains. Once you get away from the Wichita, Topeka, and Kansas City metro areas — especially across the western two-thirds of the state — light pollution drops off quickly and the horizon stays unobstructed for miles in every direction. The dry air common to the High Plains region of western Kansas also tends to produce crisp, steady viewing on many clear nights throughout the year. No location in Kansas currently holds an official International Dark-Sky designation, but the state's rural state parks and grasslands still offer some of the darkest skies you'll find east of the Rockies.
Dark-sky places in Kansas
- Cedar Bluff State Park — Tucked into sparsely populated Trego County in western Kansas, this reservoir park sits far from any large city, giving it some of the least light-polluted skies in the state.
- Lake Scott State Park — Set in a spring-fed canyon in Scott County in far western Kansas, the park's remote High Plains location and surrounding bluffs make for naturally dark, wide-open sky views away from town lighting.
- Cimarron National Grassland — Covering more than 100,000 acres in Morton County at the far southwest corner of the state, this is one of the most sparsely populated areas in Kansas and a solid bet for a naturally dark night sky.
- Kanopolis State Park — Kansas's oldest state park, located in rural Ellsworth County in the central part of the state, offers open-sky views well removed from the light domes of Wichita and Salina.
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 Kansas nights are worth the drive
The year's meteor peaks with the moon already worked out, and the darkest places in Kansas to watch them from.
The complete The Night Sky over Kansas
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 Kansas.