The Night Sky in Utah
This year's meteor showers, moon phases, and the darkest places to watch from in Utah.
Data updated: August 2026Sources & method · Corrections
The best stargazing in Utah comes on clear, moonless nights, and January, November and December give you the most of them to work with — about 14.6 hours of darkness at the December peak, computed from Utah'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.
Utah offers some of the best stargazing conditions in the United States, thanks to its high desert elevation, low humidity, and enormous stretches of public land far from city lights. The state's dry climate delivers clear, stable air for much of the year, and its red-rock canyon country in the south is especially renowned for dark, star-filled night skies. Utah is home to more International Dark Sky-certified sites than nearly any other state, most concentrated across its southern and southeastern national parks and monuments.
Dark-sky places in Utah
- Natural Bridges National Monument — One of the first places in the world to earn International Dark Sky Park status, this remote monument in southeastern Utah offers exceptionally dark skies above its sandstone bridges and canyons.
- Capitol Reef National Park — Certified as an International Dark Sky Park, Capitol Reef protects a long, isolated stretch of the Waterpocket Fold where minimal light pollution keeps the Milky Way clearly visible most nights.
- Bryce Canyon National Park — This International Dark Sky Park sits at high elevation with famously clean, thin air, and rangers host regular astronomy programs and telescope viewings for visitors.
- Arches National Park — An International Dark Sky Park near Moab, Arches pairs its iconic sandstone formations with some of the darkest, least light-polluted skies in the region after sunset.
- Canyonlands National Park — Also certified as an International Dark Sky Park, Canyonlands' remote mesas and canyons near Moab provide wide-open, unobstructed views of the stars.
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 Utah nights are worth the drive
The year's meteor peaks with the moon already worked out, and the darkest places in Utah to watch them from.
The complete The Night Sky over Utah
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 Utah.