Starry Starry Night by name, starry starry night by nature. If you are a keen astronomer, astrophotographer or just someone who loves gazing up at the night sky, our Stargazing Calendar may well help you plan your stay.
We didn’t name our eco reserve Starry Starry Night for no reason 🙂 And oh my, what a gorgeously starry sky it is - especially when you catch it on bright moonless, cloudless night. It really rather looks like a De Beers sorting table. Starry Starry Night is located in the Langeberg mountains, away from any town and village lights, making the sky even darker and the stars therefore even brighter. No matter when you come, the sky is always beautiful to look at (yup, even when there are clouds, particularly when they turn), but we would not be surprised if you want to time your visit based on our calendar. Perhaps it is a shimmering starry sky you are after, or perhaps you want to see how the fullmoon sails over the Karoo koppies in the distance. Read on to find out what is happening when.
May / June 2026
ETA Aquarrids Meteor Shower: 5/6 May
New Moon: 16 May
Full Moon: 31 May
New Moon: 14 June
Full Moon: 21 June
July / August 2026
New Moon: 14 July
Full Moon: 29 July
Delta Aquarrids Meteor Shower: 28/29 July
New Moon: 12 August
Perseid Meteor Shower: 12/13 August
Full Moon: 27 August
Partial Lunar Eclipse: 27/28 August
September / October 2026
New Moon: 10 September
Full Moon: 25 September
New Moon: 10 October
Orionids Meteor Shower: 21 - 22 October
Full Moon: 25 October
November / December 2026
New Moon: 9 November
Full Moon: 24 November
Leonids Meteor Shower: 17 - 18 November
New Moon: 8 December
Geminids Meteor Shower: 13 - 14 December
Ursids Meteor Shower: 21 - 22 December
Full Moon: 23 December
🌠 5 and 6 May 2026 – Eta Aquariids Meteor Shower. One of the best meteor showers for the Southern Hemisphere, capable of producing up to 50 meteors per hour at its peak under ideal conditions. Produced by dust particles left behind by Halley’s Comet, the shower runs annually from about 19 April to 28 May, peaking on the nights of 5 and 6 May.
🌠 28 and 29 July 2026 – Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower. Could potentially produce up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak. The shower runs from approximately 12 July to 23 August, with the peak period falling on 28 and 29 July. Best viewed after midnight from a dark location, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere.
🌠 12 and 13 August 2026 – Perseids Meteor Shower. One of the two biggest meteor showers of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, averaging around 60 meteors per hour at its peak. Produced by debris left behind by comet Swift-Tuttle, the Perseids are visible from 17 July to 24 August. In the Southern Hemisphere the shower appears lower on the horizon and produces fewer meteors.
🌠21 and 22 October 2026 – Orionids Meteor Shower. A beautiful meteor shower averaging around 20 meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by dust grains left behind by Halley’s Comet and runs annually from 2 October to 7 November, with peak activity on 21 and 22 October.
🌠17 and 18 November 2026 – Leonids Meteor Shower. A meteor shower averaging around 15 meteors per hour at its peak. The Leonids are produced by debris left behind by comet Tempel-Tuttle, discovered in 1865. The shower runs annually from 6 to 30 November, peaking on the nights of 17 and 18 November.
🌠13 and 14 December 2026 – Geminids Meteor Shower. One of the best meteor showers of the year, producing up to 120 multicoloured meteors per hour at its peak under ideal conditions. The Geminids are produced by debris left behind by asteroid 3200 Phaethon, discovered in 1982. The shower runs from approximately 4 to 17 December, peaking on 13 and 14 December.
🌠21 and 22 December 2026 – Ursids Meteor Shower. A minor meteor shower producing around 5 to 10 meteors per hour at its peak. The shower is produced by dust grains left behind by comet 8P/Tuttle and occurs annually from 17 to 25 December, peaking on 21 and 22 December.
NB : To state the obvious, starry starry nights are a natural phenomenon and don't run on man's schedule. Although we cannot guarantee that you will have a perfect star moongazing weather, we can assure you that one way or the other you will have a magical stay, and we cannot wait to welcome you.