Windowpane Observatory

2026 Best Observing Nights

This list of best observing times for 2026 is not based on weather or other sky conditions. We have simply calculated the days when the Moon sets early enough that you don't have to stay up all night waiting for it to go down, as well as when the Moon rises late enough that an early appearance of the Moon won't spoil your observing run. (Curious what's in this month's sky?)

Here are the dates when Moon conditions are optimal for night sky observing:

JAN 16 - 21

FEB 13 - 18

MARCH 16 - 21

APRIL 17 - 22

MAY 15 - 20

JUNE 14 - 19

JULY 14 - 19

AUG 13 - 18

SEPT 12 - 17

OCT 11 - 16

NOV 11 - 16

DEC 11 - 16

ASTRONOMY BINOCULARS
A mini telescope you can take anywhere

If you love sky gazing, you have to have a pair of astronomy binoculars! Binoculars are a fantastic alternative to telescopes—inexpensive, lightweight, and portable. For city dwellers where there is a lot of light pollution, binoculars are essential if you want to see much of anything.

Binoculars enlarge and brighten the beauty and immensity of the night sky. You can see the detail of the moon's craters, the phases of Venus, the moons and stripes of Jupiter, the awesome jewels that dot the Milky Way, nebulae, star clusters, and comets when they're passing near.

Our favorite astonomy binoculars is the Celestron SkGiyMaster Giant 15x70 Binoculars. These are excellent as well:

ANOTHER GREAT ASTRONOMICAL TOOL:

THE PLANISPHERE
A year-round, real-time sky map

A planisphere is a rotating star chart that allows you to dial in the entire visible sky for any day and time of the year and with great precision. It has been called an analog star computer and was considered magical in ancient times.

Planispheres show the brightest stars, constellations, notable galaxies and nebulae, as well as the path of the Milky Way. The plane of the ecliptic is also shown, which reveals the pathway of the planets as they appear to move across the night sky.

Purchase a planisphere for $7.95