IDA-certified — hosts the annual Staunton River Star Party.
Updated:
· Tonight: Friday, August 14, 2026
📍 Southern VA🌑 Bortle 3🚗 Located off VA-344 near Scottsburg, VA, along the Dan and Staunton rivers.
About Staunton River
Staunton River State Park, near the North Carolina border in southern Virginia, is a certified International Dark Sky Park and home to one of the region's best-known amateur astronomy gatherings, the Staunton River Star Party, held every fall.
What you can see in the sky
Milky Way, deep-sky objects visible with the many telescopes set up during the star party, and a genuinely dark rural horizon.
Best time of year
The Staunton River Star Party runs each fall (typically early-to-mid October) and draws astronomers from across the region.
Why this site is worth the drive
DarkSky International-certified Dark Sky Park
Hosts the long-running Staunton River Star Party each fall
Open fields along the Dan and Staunton rivers with a wide horizon
Practical tips for Staunton River
The star party requires separate registration and fees — check with the organizing club ahead of time
Outside of the star party, the park's open field areas are open to casual stargazers with a park admission
Cabins and campsites on-site let you make a full weekend of it
Live 48-hour forecast
Tonight's verdict above is a build-time snapshot. For the full
hourly view — cloud cover, transparency, seeing, smoke, humidity,
moon altitude and a Bortle-aware tonight score by observing mode
(visual, deep-sky, planetary, astrophoto) — open the live forecast:
The live page combines Open-Meteo weather, US-AQI wildfire smoke,
moon math and Bortle-scale darkness into a single tonight score
(0–100), updated continuously.
Frequently asked questions
Is Staunton River good for stargazing tonight?
Tonight's verdict is Fair (Medium confidence). Short 2h window, otherwise mean cloud 72%. Worth a look if you're nearby.
When is the best time of year to stargaze at Staunton River?
The Staunton River Star Party runs each fall (typically early-to-mid October) and draws astronomers from across the region.
How long is the drive from Toronto?
Located off VA-344 near Scottsburg, VA, along the Dan and Staunton rivers.
What can I see in the sky here?
Milky Way, deep-sky objects visible with the many telescopes set up during the star party, and a genuinely dark rural horizon.
How dark is the sky? (Bortle scale)
Staunton River sits at Bortle class 3 on the 1–9 dark-sky scale, where 1 is a pristine wilderness sky and 9 is an inner-city sky.