Jasper Dark Sky Preserve stargazing: best night for your trip
Very short astronomical nights around the June solstice. Dark Sky Festival in October. 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 20:11 to 07:02 · 11.0 h without the moon · Milky Way core: below horizon
| Night of | Moon | Dark hours | Moon-free | Milky Way core | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2 Nov | 35% | 10.7 | 5.8 | below horizon | 86 |
| Tue 3 Nov | 25% | 10.8 | 7.3 | below horizon | 93 |
| Wed 4 Nov | 16% | 10.8 | 8.7 | below horizon | 97 |
| Thu 5 Nov | 9% | 10.8 | 10.0 | below horizon | 99 |
| Fri 6 Nov | 4% | 11.0 | 11.0 | below horizon | 100 |
| Sat 7 Nov | 1% | 11.0 | 11.0 | below horizon | 100 |
| Sun 8 Nov | 0% | 11.0 | 11.0 | below horizon | 100 |
| Mon 9 Nov | 1% | 11.2 | 11.2 | below horizon | 100 |
| Tue 10 Nov | 4% | 11.2 | 11.2 | below horizon | 100 |
| Wed 11 Nov | 9% | 11.2 | 11.2 | below horizon | 100 |
| Thu 12 Nov | 15% | 11.2 | 11.2 | below horizon | 100 |
| Fri 13 Nov | 22% | 11.3 | 10.3 | below horizon | 98 |
| Sat 14 Nov | 30% | 11.3 | 9.2 | below horizon | 95 |
| Sun 15 Nov | 39% | 11.3 | 7.8 | below horizon | 90 |
| Mon 16 Nov | 49% | 11.3 | 6.5 | below horizon | 82 |
| Tue 17 Nov | 59% | 11.5 | 5.5 | below horizon | 74 |
| Wed 18 Nov | 68% | 11.5 | 4.2 | below horizon | 63 |
| Thu 19 Nov | 78% | 11.5 | 2.8 | below horizon | 50 |
| Fri 20 Nov | 86% | 11.5 | 1.5 | below horizon | 37 |
| Sat 21 Nov | 92% | 11.7 | 0.2 | below horizon | 23 |
| Sun 22 Nov | 97% | 11.7 | 0.0 | below horizon | 17 |
| Mon 23 Nov | 100% | 11.7 | 0.0 | below horizon | 15 |
| Tue 24 Nov | 99% | 11.7 | 0.0 | below horizon | 16 |
| Wed 25 Nov | 96% | 11.7 | 0.0 | below horizon | 18 |
| Thu 26 Nov | 91% | 11.8 | 0.0 | below horizon | 23 |
| Fri 27 Nov | 83% | 11.8 | 0.8 | below horizon | 34 |
| Sat 28 Nov | 73% | 11.8 | 2.3 | below horizon | 50 |
| Sun 29 Nov | 63% | 11.8 | 3.8 | below horizon | 64 |
| Mon 30 Nov | 51% | 11.8 | 5.3 | below horizon | 76 |
| Tue 1 Dec | 40% | 12.0 | 6.8 | below horizon | 85 |
Best night each month
| Month | New moon | Best night | Good nights | Core on best night |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | 9 Nov | Fri 6 Nov | 17 | not visible |
| December 2026 | 8 Dec | Sat 5 Dec | 18 | not visible |
| January 2027 | 7 Jan | Sun 3 Jan | 18 | not visible |
| February 2027 | 6 Feb | Mon 1 Feb | 15 | not visible |
| March 2027 | 8 Mar | Mon 1 Mar | 18 | not visible |
| April 2027 | 6 Apr | Thu 1 Apr | 17 | not visible |
| May 2027 | 6 May | Wed 5 May | 10 | not visible |
| June 2027 | 4 Jun | no dark nights | 0 | not visible |
| July 2027 | 3 Jul | Sat 31 Jul | 4 | not visible |
| August 2027 | 2 Aug, 31 Aug | Sun 1 Aug | 18 | not visible |
| September 2027 | 29 Sep | Mon 27 Sep | 16 | not visible |
| October 2027 | 29 Oct | Sun 3 Oct | 17 | not visible |
Tours
Jasper Dark Sky Preserve 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/Edmonton).