The core clears 10 degrees during full darkness on most nights from February to October. In January, November and December it's out of reach, either too close to the Sun or too low in the dark.
Core score by month
| Month | Core score | Best week | Moon-free core hours a night | Average cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | No moon-free core hours | 0 | 55% |
| February | 15 | February 10 to 16 | 1.2 | 50% |
| March | 34 | March 10 to 16 | 2.6 | 47% |
| April | 50 | April 6 to 12 | 3.9 | 48% |
| May | 45 | May 3 to 9 | 5.2 | 54% |
| June | 31 | June 1 to 7 | 6.5 | 69% |
| July | 38 | July 1 to 7 | 6.3 | 62% |
| August | 38 | August 1 to 7 | 4.2 | 62% |
| September | 21 | September 21 to 27 | 2.4 | 65% |
| October | 12 | October 18 to 24 | 1.1 | 53% |
| November | 0 | No moon-free core hours | 0 | 46% |
| December | 0 | Core not visible | 0 | 53% |
Times are for the best seven nights in each month. Moon-free means the moon is below the horizon. The core counts as visible above 10 degrees in full darkness, when the Sun is more than 18 degrees below the horizon.
The best nights in 2027
- April: April 10 is the best night. The core is above 10 degrees and the moon is down from 1:50 am to 5:40 am, with the moon 21% lit that night.
- May: May 7 is the best night. The core is above 10 degrees and the moon is down from 12:00 am to 5:10 am, with the moon 4% lit that night.
- July: July 1 is the best night. The core is above 10 degrees and the moon is down from 9:50 pm to 4:30 am, with the moon 5% lit that night.
Clock times are Eastern time with daylight saving applied. The best nights fall around the new moon, so the dates shift by about 11 days each year.
About Biscayne National Park
Biscayne is about 95 percent water, which makes it an odd national park. It sits just south of Miami and protects a stretch of Biscayne Bay, a string of small Florida Keys, and a living coral reef. Most visitors come by boat to snorkel, paddle or camp on Elliott Key.
Developers once planned a port and resort towns here. A local push to protect the bay led to a national monument in 1968, and it became a national park in 1980. The old Boca Chita Key lighthouse and the stilt houses at Stiltsville recall the years when this was a party spot.
Biscayne National Park is a national park in Florida. The National Park Service places its center at 25.49 degrees north and 80.21 degrees west, and the sky calculations on this page use that point. Visitor information, fees and alerts are on the park's own page. National Park Service (opens in a new tab).
How Biscayne National Park compares
Its best monthly core score of 50 ranks 30 of 54 national park units that can see the core. The highest is Lassen Volcanic National Park at 86, and the lowest is Voyageurs National Park at 13. Cloud at Biscayne National Park runs from 46% in November to 69% in June.
The score ranks months and parks. It isn't a forecast for any night, and it leaves out local weather, smoke and light from nearby towns. How the core score works.
How dark is the sky?
The Park Service's sky model covers only the contiguous United States and has no value at the reference point used for Biscayne National Park, which is outside its coverage or over water, so no sky darkness figure is shown here.
Questions people ask
When is the best time to see the Milky Way at Biscayne National Park?
April, May and July are the best months. The best week of 2027 is April 6 to 12.
Can you see the Milky Way at Biscayne National Park all year?
The core clears 10 degrees during full darkness on most nights from February to October. In January, November and December it's out of reach, either too close to the Sun or too low in the dark.
How dark is the sky at Biscayne National Park?
The Park Service's sky model covers only the contiguous United States and has no value at the reference point used for Biscayne National Park, which is outside its coverage or over water, so no sky darkness figure is shown here.
Does the moon matter at Biscayne National Park?
Yes. A bright moon hides the Milky Way. The best night in April is April 10, when the moon is 21% lit and the core is above 10 degrees from 1:50 am to 5:40 am.
