The Night Sky in Pennsylvania
This year's meteor showers, moon phases, and the darkest places to watch from in Pennsylvania.
Data updated: August 2026Sources & method · Corrections
The best stargazing in Pennsylvania comes on clear, moonless nights, and January, November and December give you the most of them to work with — about 14.7 hours of darkness at the December peak, computed from Pennsylvania'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.
Pennsylvania's sky quality varies sharply by region: the Philadelphia-Harrisburg-Lancaster corridor and the greater Pittsburgh area both cast wide domes of light pollution, while the state's northern forests and mountains stay surprisingly dark thanks to low population density and large stretches of public land. The north-central counties, an area often called the Pennsylvania Wilds, hold some of the darkest measured skies remaining east of the Mississippi River. Elsewhere, a modest drive past any city's immediate suburbs is usually enough to find a noticeably darker sky overhead.
Dark-sky places in Pennsylvania
- Cherry Springs State Park — An International Dark Sky Park in Potter County, surrounded by the Susquehannock State Forest — widely considered one of the darkest spots in the eastern United States, with dedicated astronomy fields and organized star parties held on clear nights throughout the year.
- Allegheny National Forest — A large, sparsely populated tract of public forest in northwestern Pennsylvania, well away from Erie and Pittsburgh's light domes, with remote clearings and pull-offs that open up to a wide, unobstructed view of the night sky.
- State forest land on the Pocono Plateau — In the state's northeastern corner, the large public forest tracts of the Pocono Plateau sit well away from the busier resort areas and offer noticeably darker skies than the New York and New Jersey suburbs just to the east.
- State game lands and forests in south-central Pennsylvania — Away from the Harrisburg-Lancaster-Philadelphia corridor, the ridges and valleys of south-central Pennsylvania hold scattered state game lands and forest tracts where the sky darkens noticeably just a few miles from town — look for high ground with an open 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 Pennsylvania nights are worth the drive
The year's meteor peaks with the moon already worked out, and the darkest places in Pennsylvania to watch them from.
The complete The Night Sky over Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania.