The Night Sky in New Mexico
This year's meteor showers, moon phases, and the darkest places to watch from in New Mexico.
Data updated: August 2026Sources & method · Corrections
The best stargazing in New Mexico comes on clear, moonless nights, and January, November and December give you the most of them to work with — about 14.2 hours of darkness at the December peak, computed from New Mexico'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.
New Mexico's high elevation, dry air and vast lightly-populated basins give it some of the darkest accessible skies in the country. Much of the state sits at high elevation across broad desert basins and mountain country, which keeps the air dry and largely free of the haze that blurs the sky in more humid, low-lying regions. Combined with some of the lowest population density in the Lower 48 and vast stretches of national forest, national park, and other public land, New Mexico is home to more International Dark Sky-certified places than almost any other state.
Dark-sky places in New Mexico
- Chaco Culture National Historical Park — An International Dark Sky Park in the remote northwestern part of the state, Chaco protects the same unobstructed night sky the ancient Puebloan builders would have seen, with ranger-led astronomy programs at the park's onsite observatory.
- Cosmic Campground — Tucked into the Gila National Forest near the Arizona border, this is an International Dark Sky Sanctuary — a designation reserved for some of the most remote, least light-polluted places in the country — with a clear 360-degree horizon and no campground lighting to interfere with the view.
- El Morro National Monument — This International Dark Sky Park in west-central New Mexico is known by day for centuries of carved rock inscriptions, but its remote high-desert setting also makes for some of the darkest, clearest night skies in the region.
- Clayton Lake State Park — Out on the state's northeastern plains, this International Dark Sky Park pairs its well-known dinosaur trackways with a public observatory and telescopes, hosting regular stargazing nights for visitors.
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 New Mexico nights are worth the drive
The year's meteor peaks with the moon already worked out, and the darkest places in New Mexico to watch them from.
The complete The Night Sky over New Mexico
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 New Mexico.