Tonight's stargazing conditions scored 0–100 for cities and dark-sky sites across the USA and Canada — from New York and Los Angeles to Flagstaff, Cherry Springs and Mauna Kea. Find the clearest skies near you, then open the full forecast.
North America spans an enormous range of stargazing conditions — from the light-drenched skies of New York and Los Angeles to some of the darkest accessible sites on Earth in the desert Southwest and the Hawaiian summits. ClearSkys scores each location below for tonight using cloud cover, moon phase, wind and humidity. The American Southwest (Arizona, Utah, New Mexico) offers exceptional dry-air transparency and hosts several Dark Sky Parks, while the northern US and Canada provide long winter nights and aurora prospects across the higher latitudes.
The desert Southwest leads — Flagstaff (the world's first International Dark Sky City), Sedona, Moab and the surrounding national parks all offer outstanding conditions. Cherry Springs in Pennsylvania is the darkest accessible site on the East Coast, and Mauna Kea in Hawaii rivals the Atacama.
Yes — the northern US states, Canada and Alaska see the aurora regularly. Anchorage, the Canadian Prairies and the northern Midwest are well placed during active geomagnetic periods, and strong storms push visible displays much further south.
It varies by region. The desert Southwest is excellent year-round thanks to dry, stable air. Northern areas favour autumn and winter for the longest nights. The Milky Way core is best from April through October.