Community · CO, US
Town of Paonia, Colorado
Paonia, a town of nearly 1,500 on Colorado's Western Slope in Delta County, was certified an International Dark Sky Community in 2024. The town adopted a lighting ordinance in 2022 and runs two continuously logging sky quality meters, with monitoring and outreach led by the volunteer group Dark Skies Paonia. Grand Mesa National Forest and two wilderness areas lie nearby.
Official site (opens in new tab) View on OpenStreetMap (opens in new tab) Source (opens in new tab)
| Type | Community |
| State / Province | CO |
| Country | United States |
| Nearest town | Paonia |
| Certified | 2024 |
| Coordinates | 38.8700, -107.5926 |
| Source | https://darksky.org/places/paonia-colorado/ (opens in new tab) |
Plan Your Night
Tonight’s moon
New Moon
1% illuminated. Rises 6:23 AM MST. Sets 4:29 PM MST. Times are local to the park.
Next new moon
November 9, 2026
The darkest, best-for-stargazing night in the current lunar cycle. See the full trip planner for the next 12 months of new-moon windows.
Upcoming meteor showers
- Leonids Meteor Shower Peak 2026, November 17, 2026
- Geminids Meteor Shower Peak 2026, December 13, 2026
- Ursids Meteor Shower Peak 2026, December 22, 2026
5 nearest dark sky places
- Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area · 33 km (21 mi)
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park · 35 km (22 mi)
- Curecanti National Recreation Area · 50 km (31 mi)
- Old Snowmass, Colorado · 73 km (45 mi)
- Ridgway, Colorado · 81 km (50 mi)