Death Valley stargazing: best night for your trip
Gold-tier Dark Sky Park. Badwater and Harmony Borax Works are popular spots. The moon is the big variable: a bright moon hides the Milky Way. Enter your dates to rank every night.
Mon 2 Nov to Tue 1 Dec 2026
Best night: Fri 6 November 2026
Dark from 18:15 to 04:49 · 10.7 h without the moon · Milky Way core: below horizon
| Night of | Moon | Dark hours | Moon-free | Milky Way core | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2 Nov | 34% | 10.5 | 6.2 | below horizon | 88 |
| Tue 3 Nov | 24% | 10.5 | 7.3 | below horizon | 94 |
| Wed 4 Nov | 15% | 10.7 | 8.5 | below horizon | 97 |
| Thu 5 Nov | 8% | 10.7 | 9.7 | below horizon | 99 |
| Fri 6 Nov | 4% | 10.7 | 10.7 | below horizon | 100 |
| Sat 7 Nov | 1% | 10.7 | 10.7 | below horizon | 100 |
| Sun 8 Nov | 0% | 10.7 | 10.7 | below horizon | 100 |
| Mon 9 Nov | 2% | 10.7 | 10.7 | below horizon | 100 |
| Tue 10 Nov | 5% | 10.8 | 10.8 | below horizon | 100 |
| Wed 11 Nov | 9% | 10.8 | 10.7 | below horizon | 100 |
| Thu 12 Nov | 15% | 10.8 | 9.7 | below horizon | 99 |
| Fri 13 Nov | 22% | 10.8 | 8.8 | below horizon | 96 |
| Sat 14 Nov | 31% | 10.8 | 7.8 | below horizon | 93 |
| Sun 15 Nov | 40% | 10.8 | 6.8 | below horizon | 87 |
| Mon 16 Nov | 50% | 10.8 | 5.7 | below horizon | 80 |
| Tue 17 Nov | 59% | 11.0 | 4.8 | below horizon | 72 |
| Wed 18 Nov | 69% | 11.0 | 3.8 | below horizon | 62 |
| Thu 19 Nov | 78% | 11.0 | 2.8 | below horizon | 51 |
| Fri 20 Nov | 86% | 11.0 | 1.7 | below horizon | 38 |
| Sat 21 Nov | 93% | 11.0 | 0.5 | below horizon | 25 |
| Sun 22 Nov | 98% | 11.0 | 0.0 | below horizon | 17 |
| Mon 23 Nov | 100% | 11.0 | 0.0 | below horizon | 15 |
| Tue 24 Nov | 99% | 11.0 | 0.0 | below horizon | 16 |
| Wed 25 Nov | 96% | 11.2 | 0.0 | below horizon | 18 |
| Thu 26 Nov | 90% | 11.2 | 0.5 | below horizon | 27 |
| Fri 27 Nov | 82% | 11.2 | 1.7 | below horizon | 40 |
| Sat 28 Nov | 73% | 11.2 | 3.0 | below horizon | 55 |
| Sun 29 Nov | 62% | 11.2 | 4.2 | below horizon | 67 |
| Mon 30 Nov | 50% | 11.2 | 5.3 | below horizon | 78 |
| Tue 1 Dec | 39% | 11.2 | 6.5 | below horizon | 86 |
Best night each month
| Month | New moon | Best night | Good nights | Core on best night |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | 8 Nov | Fri 6 Nov | 17 | not visible |
| December 2026 | 8 Dec | Sat 5 Dec | 18 | not visible |
| January 2027 | 7 Jan | Mon 4 Jan | 18 | not visible |
| February 2027 | 6 Feb | Fri 5 Feb | 15 | not visible |
| March 2027 | 8 Mar | Sat 6 Mar | 17 | 1.5 h |
| April 2027 | 6 Apr | Tue 6 Apr | 16 | 2.7 h |
| May 2027 | 6 May | Wed 5 May | 16 | 3.8 h |
| June 2027 | 4 Jun | Thu 3 Jun | 13 | 5.3 h |
| July 2027 | 3 Jul | Fri 30 Jul | 15 | 3.7 h |
| August 2027 | 2 Aug, 31 Aug | Tue 31 Aug | 16 | 2.5 h |
| September 2027 | 29 Sep | Mon 27 Sep | 15 | 1.5 h |
| October 2027 | 29 Oct | Fri 1 Oct | 17 | 1.3 h |
Tours
Death Valley stargazing by month
How nights are scored
We count the hours of full astronomical darkness (sun 18° below the horizon), subtract the time the moon is up weighted by how much of it is lit, and add a little for longer nights. "Milky Way core" counts dark, moon-free hours when the galactic centre is more than 10° above the horizon. Weather is not included; check a cloud forecast a few days out.
Times are local (America/Los_Angeles).