Nucla and Naturita, Colorado
Very dark · Milky Way across the sky on clear nights
2 stays nearby →Norwood, Colorado Dark Sky Community
A small town of about 570 people on Wright's Mesa in southwest Colorado, 7,000 feet up in dry high desert air, where a visiting astronomer could pick out the Milky Way from inside town.
- How dark?
- Very dark · Milky Way across the sky on clear nights
- Food & town
- Norwood · in town
- Certified
- Dark Sky Community · 2019
How dark is it, really?
Dark enough to see the Milky Way stretch across the sky on a clear night, with only a faint glow from distant towns low on the horizon. (For the detail-minded: Bortle class 3, an estimate.)
When should I go?
Pick a night when the moon is down. The next stretch of moonless evenings is Nov 6–12.
| Best nights | Moonlight | Worth staying up for |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 6–12 | Thin crescent, sets early | A sky full of stars, and extra shooting stars (Leonids) |
| Dec 5–11 | Thin crescent, sets early | A sky full of stars, and extra shooting stars (Geminids) |
| Jan 3–9 | Thin crescent, rises late | A sky full of stars, and a meteor shower peak (Quadrantids) |
More dark windows, through Oct 2027
| Best nights | Moonlight | Worth staying up for |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 1–8 | Mostly none · thin crescent on the edge nights | A sky full of stars |
| Mar 3–9 | None · darkest skies | The Milky Way core |
| Apr 1–7 | Thin crescent, rises late | The Milky Way core |
| May 1–7 | Mostly none · thin crescent on the edge nights | The Milky Way core, and a meteor shower peak (Eta Aquariids) |
| Jun 1–6 | Thin crescent, sets early | The Milky Way core |
| Jul 1–6 | None · darkest skies | The Milky Way core |
| Jul 30–Aug 6 | Mostly none · crescent on the edge nights | The Milky Way core, and a meteor shower peak (Southern Delta Aquariids) |
| Aug 29–Sep 4 | Crescent, sets early | The Milky Way core |
| Sep 27–Oct 3 | Thin crescent, sets early | The Milky Way core |
Computed from public astronomical data for this location. Updated monthly. How it's computed
Milky Way season here: Mid Feb to mid Oct. Out of season until mid Feb. In season now, through mid Oct.
Meteor showers ahead: Leonids on Nov 17–18 (half moon, sets around midnight), Geminids on Dec 13–14 (thin crescent, sets early), Ursids on Dec 22–23 (full moon, up all night), and Quadrantids on Jan 3–4 (thin crescent, rises late)Lyrids on Apr 22–23 (bright moon for most of the night)Eta Aquariids on May 5–6 (none · darkest skies)Southern Delta Aquariids on Jul 30–31 (thin crescent, rises late)Perseids on Aug 12–13 (bright moon for most of the night).
Email me before the next dark window at Norwood, Colorado.
About one email a month, a few days before the moon goes dark: the dates here, the moonlight, and what's worth staying up for. Unsubscribe in one click.
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What it's like
Norwood sits on Wright's Mesa in San Miguel County, a small rural town at about 7,000 feet in the high desert of southwest Colorado. The climate is very dry, which brings many clear days and nights, and the mountains and plateaus around the mesa screen off the few distant cities whose light might reach it. With only about 570 residents, the town makes very little light of its own.
Norwood became an International Dark Sky Community in February 2019, and it measured its way there. Volunteers with the Norwood Dark Sky Advocates took sky quality meter readings across the area, and their yearly average came to 21.43, on an instrument whose darkest possible reading is 22.00. On a visit, an astronomer emeritus of the National Solar Observatory reported seeing the Milky Way easily from within town, under a sky so dark that clouds passed as black shapes over the stars.
The town is small, but it has the basics for a night visitor: a grocery store, a hardware store, four restaurants, a medical and dental clinic, and a library with community meeting rooms. It's also home to the San Miguel County Fairgrounds, which host several regional events.
The town's Dark Sky Advocate Group page points to the advocates' own site for upcoming gatherings, and their logo, Norwood Stars, says plainly what the town is proud of.
Food, fuel, and supplies
Norwood, CO is right here, with groceries (Clark's market) and 1 gas station on the map. Nearest places to eat on the map: Blondies Drive In (about 15 mi, in Naturita, CO), Green Room (about 15 mi, in Naturita, CO), and Sawpit Mercantile (about 20 mi, in Sawpit, CO).
Distances are straight-line and approximate. Places on the map may not be open. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
✓ Certification verified Jul 2026 against DarkSky International registry (Internet Archive capture) · darkness: Bortle 3, estimated (Sep 2026) · nearest town from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) (Sep 2026)
Dark sky places near Norwood, Colorado
For a trip with more than one dark night: the closest within 150 miles, nearest first. Distances are straight-line, not driving.
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