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 | Core not visible | 0 | 45% |
| February | 9 | February 10 to 16 | 0.7 | 47% |
| March | 25 | March 9 to 15 | 1.9 | 48% |
| April | 44 | April 6 to 12 | 3.1 | 42% |
| May | 51 | May 3 to 9 | 4.2 | 49% |
| June | 39 | June 1 to 7 | 5.5 | 61% |
| July | 36 | July 1 to 7 | 5.3 | 64% |
| August | 37 | August 1 to 7 | 3.4 | 57% |
| September | 23 | September 21 to 27 | 1.7 | 46% |
| October | 8 | October 18 to 24 | 0.5 | 42% |
| November | 0 | Core not visible | 0 | 41% |
| December | 0 | Core not visible | 0 | 45% |
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 8 is the best night. The core is above 10 degrees and the moon is down from 2:09 am to 5:09 am, with the moon 7% lit that night.
- May: May 6 is the best night. The core is above 10 degrees and the moon is down from 12:19 am to 4:29 am, with the moon 1% lit that night.
- June: June 3 is the best night. The core is above 10 degrees and the moon is down from 10:29 pm to 3:59 am, with the moon 0% lit that night.
Clock times are Pacific time with daylight saving applied. The best nights fall around the new moon, so the dates shift by about 11 days each year.
About Channel Islands National Park
Channel Islands is made up of five islands off the Southern California coast. You reach it by boat or plane, and the lack of crowds makes the islands feel a long way from Los Angeles. Look for kelp forests, sea caves, and the island fox, a tiny fox found nowhere else.
The Chumash people lived on these islands for thousands of years. Later, ranchers raised sheep and cattle here. Anacapa and Santa Barbara were made a national monument in 1938, and the full national park followed in 1980.
Channel Islands National Park is a national park in California. The National Park Service places its center at 33.99 degrees north and 119.91 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 Channel Islands National Park compares
Its best monthly core score of 51 ranks 28 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 Channel Islands National Park runs from 41% in November to 64% in July.
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 Channel Islands 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 Channel Islands National Park?
April, May and June are the best months. The best week of 2027 is May 3 to 9.
Can you see the Milky Way at Channel Islands 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 Channel Islands National Park?
The Park Service's sky model covers only the contiguous United States and has no value at the reference point used for Channel Islands National Park, which is outside its coverage or over water, so no sky darkness figure is shown here.
Does the moon matter at Channel Islands National Park?
Yes. A bright moon hides the Milky Way. The best night in May is May 6, when the moon is 1% lit and the core is above 10 degrees from 12:19 am to 4:29 am.
