Stargazing Guides for All 50 States + Darkest Skies on Earth
State-by-state dark-sky parks, best seasons and practical planning, with tonight's Moon and live NOAA space weather.
The sky tonight
The Moon is only 9% lit, so skies are dark for most of the night. Good for the Milky Way and faint objects.
Each state guide covers dark-sky sites, light pollution and the best seasons.
Looking for what is visible from your exact spot? Check Sky Tonight · Sunrise & sunset times
Popular stargazing states
Twelve well-known dark-sky states, grouped by region. This is an editorial selection, not a ranking.
Southwest
All 50 states
In-depth guides to dark-sky sites, seasons, light pollution and aurora chances.
- ALAlabama3 dark-sky sites
- AKAlaska2 dark-sky sites
- AZArizona3 dark-sky sites
- ARArkansas3 dark-sky sites
- CACalifornia3 dark-sky sites
- COColorado4 dark-sky sites
- CTConnecticut2 dark-sky sites
- DEDelaware2 dark-sky sites
- FLFlorida2 dark-sky sites
- GAGeorgia3 dark-sky sites
- HIHawaii2 dark-sky sites
- IDIdaho2 dark-sky sites
- ILIllinois3 dark-sky sites
- INIndiana2 dark-sky sites
- IAIowa2 dark-sky sites
- KSKansas3 dark-sky sites
- KYKentucky3 dark-sky sites
- LALouisiana1 dark-sky site
- MEMaine3 dark-sky sites
- MDMaryland2 dark-sky sites
- MAMassachusetts2 dark-sky sites
- MIMichigan3 dark-sky sites
- MNMinnesota3 dark-sky sites
- MSMississippi2 dark-sky sites
- MOMissouri3 dark-sky sites
- MTMontana2 dark-sky sites
- NENebraska3 dark-sky sites
- NVNevada2 dark-sky sites
- NHNew Hampshire2 dark-sky sites
- NJNew Jersey3 dark-sky sites
- NMNew Mexico3 dark-sky sites
- NYNew York3 dark-sky sites
- NCNorth Carolina3 dark-sky sites
- NDNorth Dakota2 dark-sky sites
- OHOhio3 dark-sky sites
- OKOklahoma2 dark-sky sites
- OROregon3 dark-sky sites
- PAPennsylvania2 dark-sky sites
- RIRhode Island1 dark-sky site
- SCSouth Carolina3 dark-sky sites
- SDSouth Dakota2 dark-sky sites
- TNTennessee2 dark-sky sites
- TXTexas4 dark-sky sites
- UTUtah4 dark-sky sites
- VTVermont3 dark-sky sites
- VAVirginia2 dark-sky sites
- WAWashington2 dark-sky sites
- WVWest Virginia3 dark-sky sites
- WIWisconsin2 dark-sky sites
- WYWyoming3 dark-sky sites
World's Darkest Skies
Eight of the darkest, most celebrated night-sky destinations outside the United States.
Atacama Desert
Chile
The driest non-polar desert on Earth, with high altitude, almost no light pollution and more than 300 clear nights a year. Home to many of the world's major observatories and arguably the finest stargazing skies anywhere.
Aoraki Mackenzie
New Zealand
One of the largest dark-sky reserves in the world, in the South Island's Mackenzie Basin. Exceptional views of the Milky Way's galactic center, the Magellanic Clouds and the southern aurora.
NamibRand Nature Reserve
Namibia
A vast private reserve in one of the least light-polluted regions on the planet. Desert horizons, near-zero humidity and some of the darkest measured skies ever recorded.
Teide National Park, Tenerife
Spain
High-altitude volcanic terrain above the cloud layer, with legal sky-quality protection. Superb year-round conditions and easy access make it Europe's premier stargazing destination.
Jasper National Park, Alberta
Canada
One of the world's largest accessible dark-sky preserves, in the Canadian Rockies. Deep-sky viewing in summer and autumn, with occasional northern lights over the mountain ranges.
Uluru, Northern Territory
Australia
Deep in the Australian Outback, the iconic red monolith offers completely unobstructed horizon-to-horizon views. Flat desert plains, near-zero humidity and a total lack of artificial lighting make it superb for southern constellations and bright meteors.
Pic du Midi de Bigorre, Pyrenees
France
Perched at 2,877 meters, observers stand well above the low-level cloud layers and air pollution. Its legendary mountaintop observatory was used by NASA scientists to map the Moon for the Apollo landings.
Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve
Ireland
On the remote Iveragh Peninsula along the Wild Atlantic Way, facing the Atlantic with no coastal light pollution. On clear winter nights the core of the Milky Way and even the Andromeda Galaxy are vividly visible to the naked eye.
Stargazing questions
What is the best state for stargazing?
There is no single best state, but the high, dry, thinly populated West is hard to beat. Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, Montana and Wyoming all have large areas far from city lights, and several hold International Dark Sky Park designations. What matters most is distance from big cities, altitude and clear weather, so a dark site in any state beats a bright one in a famous state. Our state guides list dark-sky locations for every state.
When is the best time to stargaze?
Aim for a clear night within a few days of the new moon, starting at least an hour after sunset when twilight has ended. In the Northern Hemisphere the Milky Way's bright core is visible roughly from spring through early autumn, while the long nights of winter give the most hours of darkness. Meteor showers such as the Perseids in August and the Geminids in December are best on moonless nights.
What is the Bortle scale?
The Bortle scale is a nine-level measure of night-sky darkness created by amateur astronomer John E. Bortle in 2001. Class 1 is an excellent, truly dark site where the Milky Way casts a faint shadow, and class 9 is an inner-city sky where only the brightest stars and planets are visible. Most suburbs fall around class 5 to 7.