The Night Sky in Massachusetts
This year's meteor showers, moon phases, and the darkest places to watch from in Massachusetts.
Data updated: August 2026Sources & method · Corrections
The best stargazing in Massachusetts comes on clear, moonless nights, and January, November and December give you the most of them to work with — about 14.9 hours of darkness at the December peak, computed from Massachusetts'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.
Massachusetts is a small state with a big light footprint: the Boston metro corridor, stretching west to Worcester and south toward Providence, creates a wide dome of light pollution that dims all but the brightest stars across much of the eastern half of the state. Head west into the Berkshires, or into the large protected forests and reservoir watersheds of central Massachusetts, and the sky opens up considerably, with genuinely dark, star-filled nights on clear evenings away from town centers. Fall and winter tend to offer the crispest views, since cold, dry air cuts down on the haze and humidity that can dull summer nights. A clear, moonless night paired with some distance from the nearest highway or town center is usually enough to bring out the Milky Way in the state's darker corners.
Dark-sky places in Massachusetts
- Mount Greylock State Reservation — Massachusetts's highest point, rising above the Berkshire hills in the northwestern corner of the state, with an open summit area that lifts stargazers above valley haze and well away from the nearest city glow.
- Quabbin Reservoir — A vast water-supply watershed in the center of the state, ringed by tens of thousands of acres of undeveloped forest instead of streetlights, which keeps its shoreline and surrounding back roads among the quietest, darkest corners of central Massachusetts.
- October Mountain State Forest — The state's largest state forest, set in the Berkshire hills near Lee and Washington with few nearby towns, offering unbroken tree cover and low ambient glow that make fainter stars and the winter Milky Way easier to pick out.
- Myles Standish State Forest — A large expanse of pine barrens in Plymouth County in the southeastern part of the state, with open sandy clearings and a rural setting that leave it noticeably darker than the nearby Boston and Cape Cod corridors.
- State forests and parks across western and central Massachusetts — Beyond these larger, named tracts, many smaller state forests and parks well away from Boston, Worcester, and Springfield offer meaningfully darker skies, especially along back roads with little nearby development to wash out the horizon.
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 Massachusetts nights are worth the drive
The year's meteor peaks with the moon already worked out, and the darkest places in Massachusetts to watch them from.
The complete The Night Sky over Massachusetts
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 Massachusetts.