Calendars & Events
Milky Way Calendar 2026
At 37°N the galactic core season runs from Feb 5 to Oct 26, 2026. These are the moon-free stretches inside it, with the hours the core is up in a fully dark sky and how high it climbs.
- Core season
- Feb 5 – Oct 26
- Core clears 10° in a dark sky
- Up all night
- May 25 – Jul 11
- Core up for the whole dark night
- Best month
- June
- Most moon-free hours with the core up
- Longest window
- 5 h 44 min
- Thu, Jul 9
Moon-free windows in 2026
Each row is a run of nights when the moon stays out of the way and the core is up for at least an hour in a fully dark sky. The times are for the darkest night of each run; the core rises about four minutes earlier each night, so shift them a little for the other nights.
| Nights | Darkest night | Core up in the dark | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 12 – 2514 nights | Mon, Feb 16 | 3:36 am – 5:19 am1 h 43 min | 14° SE |
| Mar 13 – 2412 nights | Wed, Mar 18 | 2:38 am – 5:38 am3 h | 21° SSE |
| Apr 11 – 2212 nights | Thu, Apr 16 | 12:44 am – 4:50 am4 h 6 min | 24° S |
| May 10 – 2011 nights | Sat, May 16 | 10:46 pm – 4:06 am5 h 20 min | 24° S |
| Jun 9 – 1911 nights | Sun, Jun 14 | 10:13 pm – 3:47 am5 h 34 min | 24° S |
| Jul 9 – 1911 nights | Mon, Jul 13 | 10:08 pm – 3:39 am5 h 31 min | 24° S |
| Aug 6 – 1712 nights | Wed, Aug 12 | 9:31 pm – 1:41 am4 h 10 min | 24° S |
| Sep 4 – 1512 nights | Thu, Sep 10 | 8:43 pm – 11:47 pm3 h 4 min | 22° SSW |
| Oct 1 – 1414 nights | Sat, Oct 10 | 7:56 pm – 9:49 pm1 h 54 min | 16° SSW |
The season by latitude
Farther south, the core climbs higher and the season runs longer. Farther north it stays low over the southern horizon, and near the Canadian border the short summer nights cut into the middle of the season.
| Latitude | Season | Up all night | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25°NFlorida Keys, far South Texas | Jan 23 – Nov 9 | May 26 – Jul 10 | 36° |
| 30°NHouston, Austin, Jacksonville | Jan 27 – Nov 5 | May 25 – Jul 10 | 31° |
| 37°NFresno, the Four Corners, southern Colorado | Feb 5 – Oct 26 | May 25 – Jul 11 | 24° |
| 42°NChicago, Boston, the Oregon–California line | Feb 16 – Oct 14 | May 23 – Jul 13 | 19° |
| 48°NSeattle, Glacier National Park, northern Minnesota | Mar 20 – Sep 5 | May 20 – Jul 17 | 13° |
How to plan with this calendar
Pick a moon-free window, then watch the forecast as it gets close. Moonlight is predictable years ahead, but clouds are only knowable a few days out, so the calendar tells you which nights are possible and the forecast tells you which ones will work.
Early in the season the core is a pre-dawn sight: set an alarm rather than staying up. From late May to mid-July it's up as soon as the sky is fully dark and stays up until dawn. In late summer and autumn, go out right after dark, because the core sets earlier each week.
Darkness matters as much as timing. From a city or suburb the core is hard to see even on a moonless night; drive until the glow on the horizon fades. Our guide to finding dark skies explains how.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Milky Way visible in 2026?
From 37°N, the bright core of the Milky Way is visible in a fully dark sky from Feb 5 to Oct 26, 2026. Early in the season it rises a few hours before dawn; by late May it's up all night; by autumn it's low in the southwest after dusk. The best nights are the moon-free stretches around each new moon.
What is the best month to see the Milky Way in 2026?
June. Its moon-free nights give the most hours with the core up in a dark sky. Around Sun, Jun 14 the core is up from 10:13 pm to 3:47 am and climbs to 24° in the south.
When is the first good night to see the Milky Way core in 2026?
The first moon-free stretch with the core up is Feb 12 – 25, 2026. Look before dawn: the core is up from 3:36 am until 5:19 am.
What time is the Milky Way visible?
It depends on the date. The core rises about four minutes earlier each night, so roughly two hours earlier each month. In February it's a pre-dawn object; around the June and July new moons it's up for the whole dark night; by October it's only visible for an hour or two after dark. The table above gives the hours for every moon-free stretch.