Milky Way Season
Also called: Milky Way core season
The months when the bright center of our galaxy is above the horizon at night, best seen from a dark site around the new Moon.
- Type
- Other Sky Events
- Best season
- Summer
- Gear
- Naked eye
- When to look
- Roughly March through October; best in summer evenings
- Best months
- June through August for evening viewing
- Where to look
- Low in the south, toward Sagittarius and Scorpius
- Best conditions
- Dark sky and a new Moon
- Gear
- None needed; binoculars show more
What you will see
- A broad, faint, cloudy band stretching across the sky.
- Dark lanes splitting the band, especially toward Cygnus.
- The brightest part low in the south, near the constellation Sagittarius.
How to watch
- Get far from city lights to a very dark site.
- Pick a night near the new Moon.
- Give your eyes 30 minutes to adapt and look low in the south on summer evenings.
Constellations to know
Field notes
More than half of the people in the United States live where the Milky Way is no longer visible. A trip to a dark site can be the first time you see it.
The bright core is near Sagittarius, which sits low in the south from the northern states.
Related guides
Dates and times repeat from year to year but shift slightly, and the Moon's phase and the planets' positions are different every year. Check a current source such as NASA, the American Meteor Society, or a stargazing app before you plan a night out, and check the weather forecast for clear skies.