You choose a stargazing spot by two numbers, and they often disagree. The first: clear moonless dark hours a year, when the Sun is below −18°, the Moon is below the horizon and cloud cover is no more than 20% (ERA5, 2006–2025). The second: light pollution, how much darker a place’s sky is than the rest of Europe’s land in NASA’s VIIRS night images from 2025. The calculation is described on the how we calculate page. The map and search on this page will show you the nearest places.
The south is clear, the north is dark
Garajonay National Park gets 1,006 clear dark hours a year, with August the best month, though it is darker than only 60% of Europe’s land. Monfragüe National Park has 778 hours. Coll is darker than 99.9% of Europe’s land, but there are just 80 clear dark hours a year, with April the best month. You can find places in your country on the United Kingdom and Germany pages.
Meteors and the Moon
For the Geminids on 14 December 2026, the Moon is 25% lit; for the Quadrantids on 4 January 2027, 12%. The Moon at 86% will get in the way of the Perseids on 13 August 2027. All meteor showers are listed on the meteor showers page. This is climate, not a forecast; check the weather forecast before you set off.