The Night Sky in Wisconsin
This year's meteor showers, moon phases, and the darkest places to watch from in Wisconsin.
Data updated: August 2026Sources & method · Corrections
The best stargazing in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin'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.
Wisconsin's stargazing ranges from washed-out to excellent depending on how far you get from Milwaukee and Madison: the southeastern corner of the state carries real light pollution, while the northern two-thirds — the lakes-and-forest country often called the Northwoods — holds some of the darkest skies in the Upper Midwest. Winter brings the year's longest nights along with the driest, most transparent air, while summer stargazing is more comfortable but more prone to haze. Because Wisconsin's northern edge runs along Lake Superior at a fairly high latitude, the far northern counties catch the aurora borealis more often than most of the Lower 48 during active geomagnetic nights. Outside the Lake Michigan and Lake Superior shoreline towns, a short drive is usually enough to leave most artificial light behind.
Dark-sky places in Wisconsin
- Newport State Park — At the tip of the Door County peninsula, well beyond the peninsula's resort towns, this park is one of Wisconsin's most popular and reliably dark places to watch the sky, with an open view north over Lake Michigan.
- Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest — Covering roughly 1.5 million acres across northern Wisconsin, this national forest is sparsely populated and far from any large city, so its campgrounds and back roads stay dependably dark on clear nights.
- Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest — Set among hundreds of lakes in Vilas and Oneida counties, this is one of the least developed corners of the state, and its open water and woodland give wide, unobstructed views of the night sky.
- Apostle Islands National Lakeshore — Along the Lake Superior shoreline near Bayfield, this is one of the most remote parts of Wisconsin, with a dark water horizon and little light from nearby towns.
- Rural Driftless Area (southwestern Wisconsin) — Well away from Madison, the hilly, unglaciated back roads of this region see far less development than much of southern Wisconsin, making them a solid choice for stargazers who can't get farther north.
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 Wisconsin nights are worth the drive
The year's meteor peaks with the moon already worked out, and the darkest places in Wisconsin to watch them from.
The complete The Night Sky over Wisconsin
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 Wisconsin.