The Night Sky in Vermont
This year's meteor showers, moon phases, and the darkest places to watch from in Vermont.
Data updated: August 2026Sources & method · Corrections
The best stargazing in Vermont comes on clear, moonless nights, and January, November and December give you the most of them to work with — about 15.1 hours of darkness at the December peak, computed from Vermont'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.
Vermont is one of the more sparsely populated states in the Northeast, and with no true cities and only a handful of small ones, much of the state stays reasonably dark after sunset. Its terrain runs from the broader, more developed Champlain Valley in the west to the high, remote country of the Green Mountains and the Northeast Kingdom, where a lack of nearby towns makes for some of the least light-polluted skies in New England. Clear, dry air and long nights in fall and winter tend to give the best viewing conditions. As a rule, the farther you get from Burlington and the I-89 corridor, the darker and more star-filled the sky becomes.
Dark-sky places in Vermont
- The Northeast Kingdom — Vermont's remote northeastern corner — Essex, Orleans, and Caledonia counties — has few towns of any size, and its back roads, hilltops, and lakeshores offer some of the darkest, least light-polluted skies in the state.
- Camel's Hump State Park — One of Vermont's few 4,000-foot peaks left with no ski development or road to the summit; its open, alpine top gives a wide, unobstructed horizon well above the valley haze and away from town lights.
- Green Mountain National Forest — This national forest covers a long stretch of Vermont's spine through the southern and central part of the state, and its backcountry roads and trailheads sit well off the main highways, away from the glow of towns.
- Rural areas away from Burlington and the I-89 corridor — Vermont's brightest sky glow radiates from the Burlington area and the interstate corridor running through it; almost any hilltop, farm field, or back road well off that route — especially toward the state's southern and eastern uplands — offers a noticeably darker sky.
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 Vermont nights are worth the drive
The year's meteor peaks with the moon already worked out, and the darkest places in Vermont to watch them from.
The complete The Night Sky over Vermont
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 Vermont.