# Dark Skies Directory

> A directory and calendar for eclipses, aurora, meteor showers, and certified dark sky places across the United States and Canada. Every factual claim links to its primary source.

## Core
- [Places](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/places): 212 certified dark sky places
- [Events](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/events): 77 celestial events
- [Laws](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/laws): outdoor lighting law for 64 jurisdictions
- [Moon](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/moon): live moon phase and rise/set tool
- [Nightly News](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/nightly-news): 5 recent entries

## Articles
- [Stargazing for Kids and Beginners: Your First Night Out](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/articles/stargazing-for-beginners): A warm, no-telescope-required guide to your first stargazing night: what to bring, red lights, finding the Big Dipper, and picking a dark sky spot.
- [10 Best Space Movies About Eclipses, Comets and Meteors](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/articles/space-movies): The 10 best space movies built on a real eclipse, comet, meteor or night sky, with each film's year, director and a sourced real-science accuracy check.
- [Where to See the Northern Lights in the US and Canada](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/articles/northern-lights): See the northern lights in the US and Canada: best states, the Kp index, NOAA forecasts, best months, and phone camera tips for aurora photos.
- [Moon Phases, Moonrise and Moonset Explained](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/articles/moon-phases): The eight moon phases explained, why moonrise shifts 50 minutes a day, how moon phase affects stargazing and meteors, and full moons through 2027.
- [Next Solar Eclipse in North America: 2026 to 2045](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/articles/eclipses): See every solar and lunar eclipse visible from the US and Canada through 2045, the 2033 and 2044/2045 total eclipses, eye safety, and eclipse travel tips.
- [Dark Sky Parks in the US and Canada: Full Guide](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/articles/dark-sky-parks): Find the best dark sky parks across the US and Canada by region, plus the Bortle scale and how DarkSky International and RASC certify dark skies.
- [Dark-Sky Friendly Outdoor Lighting: A Homeowner's Guide](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/articles/dark-sky-lighting): DarkSky International's five lighting principles, what "full cutoff" and color temperature mean, and how to pick fixtures that cut glare, save energy, and meet local dark sky laws.
- [Dark Sky Laws by State: US Outdoor Lighting Rules](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/articles/dark-sky-laws): See every US state and Canadian province with a dark sky or outdoor lighting law, from Arizona's 1986 statute to Maine's 2026 act, with citations.
- [Famous Constellations and When to See Them](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/articles/constellations): A season-by-season guide to Orion, the Big Dipper, Cassiopeia, Cygnus and more, calibrated for US and Canada latitudes, with star and myth notes.
- [Meteor Shower Calendar 2026-2027: Every Peak Date](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/articles/meteor-showers): Every major meteor shower, October 2026 to 2027: peak dates, ZHR, moon conditions, radiants explained, and the best US and Canada dark-sky spots to watch.

## Machine-readable
- [/llms-full.txt](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/llms-full.txt): full export of articles, places, events, and laws
- [/sitemap.xml](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/sitemap.xml) and [/sitemap-machine.xml](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/sitemap-machine.xml)
- [/rss.xml](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/rss.xml), [/atom.xml](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/atom.xml), [/feed.json](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/feed.json)
- [/.well-known/agent.json](https://darkskiesdirectory.com/.well-known/agent.json)
- Every page is also available as .md and .json at the same path, or via Accept-header negotiation.