The Night Sky in Virginia
This year's meteor showers, moon phases, and the darkest places to watch from in Virginia.
Data updated: August 2026Sources & method · Corrections
The best stargazing in Virginia comes on clear, moonless nights, and January, November and December give you the most of them to work with — about 14.4 hours of darkness at the December peak, computed from Virginia'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.
Virginia's stargazing conditions split sharply along an east-west line: the Northern Virginia suburbs and the Hampton Roads metro area sit under some of the brightest sky glow on the East Coast, while the Blue Ridge Mountains and the state's rural southern and southwestern counties offer genuinely darker, more transparent skies. Elevation helps in the west, where ridgeline overlooks lift viewers above valley haze and add distance from city light domes. Humid summer air can soften transparency, so the crisper, drier nights of fall and winter tend to reward stargazers the most. Anyone chasing a real view of the Milky Way should plan to get well away from the D.C.-to-Richmond corridor and into the state's more rural interior.
Dark-sky places in Virginia
- Staunton River State Park — An IDA-certified International Dark Sky Park in south-central Virginia, on Buggs Island Lake near the North Carolina line -- one of only a handful of certified dark-sky sites in the eastern U.S., with ranger-led night-sky programs on clear, moonless nights.
- Shenandoah National Park — A longtime favorite for Virginia stargazers, with elevated overlooks like Big Meadows offering wide horizons and noticeably darker skies than the Piedmont below; the park periodically runs night-sky programs during new-moon weeks.
- Blue Ridge Parkway overlooks — The parkway's Virginia overlooks sit high above the valley floor and well clear of city light domes, making them a dependable option for a rural night sky, particularly on clear nights in fall and winter.
- Far southwest Virginia's high country (Mount Rogers area) — The remote, high-elevation terrain around Mount Rogers and Grayson Highlands is thinly populated and largely free of nearby city lights, making it one of the darker corners of the state for casual stargazing.
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 Virginia nights are worth the drive
The year's meteor peaks with the moon already worked out, and the darkest places in Virginia to watch them from.
The complete The Night Sky over Virginia
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 Virginia.