Stargazing at Parc national de Fontainebleau: when is the sky clear and dark?
March is the best month for stargazing at Parc national de Fontainebleau: on average 40 clear, moonless hours of full darkness, and 26% of nights have at least two of them (ERA5, 2006–2025). The darkest spot we found there is darker than 27% of Europe’s land (NASA VIIRS 2025).
national park · France
Month by month
| Month | Nights with ≥ 2 such hours | Clear moonless dark hours | Moonless dark hours | Of them clear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13% | 20 | 173 | 12% |
| February | 19% | 28 | 147 | 19% |
| March | 26% | 40 | 133 | 30% |
| April | 23% | 29 | 95 | 31% |
| May | 14% | 15 | 58 | 26% |
| June | 1% | 6 | 18 | 30% |
| July | 12% | 13 | 42 | 30% |
| August | 19% | 24 | 90 | 27% |
| September | 23% | 35 | 119 | 30% |
| October | 21% | 34 | 155 | 22% |
| November | 15% | 24 | 173 | 14% |
| December | 16% | 28 | 189 | 15% |
Climate, not a forecast: these are shares of past nights (ERA5 reanalysis, 2006–2025), not a prediction for a particular night. Check a forecast before you go.
Light pollution
| Darker than | 27% of Europe’s land |
|---|---|
| Light pollution | noticeable light glow |
| Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — Darkest spot we found | 9.46 |
| Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — at the official map point | 14 |
| Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — median across the area | 15 |
| Darkest spot we found | 48.392, 2.642 (map) — within 2.8 km of the Wikidata point (no OSM boundary) |
Next new moons
| New moon | Night | Moonless dark hours that night | Typical share of good nights that month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 November 2026 | 8–9 November 2026 | 10.8 | 15% |
| 9 December 2026 | 8–9 December 2026 | 11.8 | 16% |
| 7 January 2027 | 7–8 January 2027 | 11.7 | 13% |
| 6 February 2027 | 6–7 February 2027 | 10.7 | 19% |
| 8 March 2027 | 7–8 March 2027 | 9.2 | 26% |
| 6 April 2027 | 6–7 April 2027 | 7.2 | 23% |
| 6 May 2027 | 5–6 May 2027 | 4.7 | 14% |
| 4 June 2027 | 4–5 June 2027 | 1.8 | 1% |
| 4 July 2027 | 3–4 July 2027 | 1.5 | 12% |
| 2 August 2027 | 1–2 August 2027 | 4.3 | 19% |
| 31 August 2027 | 31 August 2027 – 1 September 2027 | 6.8 | 19% |
| 30 September 2027 | 29–30 September 2027 | 8.8 | 23% |
Hours with the Sun below −18° and the Moon below the horizon, on the night of the new moon, at the darkest spot.
Meteor showers
| Shower | Peak night | Chance of a clear peak night | Moon lit | Moonless dark hours (Sun < −12°) | Radiant max. height |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leonids | 17–18 November 2026 | 27% | 55% | 6.5 | 63° |
| Geminids * | 13–14 December 2026 | 35% | 20% | 10.3 | 75° |
| Geminids * | 14–15 December 2026 | 37% | 29% | 9.2 | 75° |
| Quadrantids | 3–4 January 2027 | 25% | 13% | 11.8 | 71° |
| Lyrids | 22–23 April 2027 | 57% | 95% | 1.3 | 75° |
| Eta Aquariids * | 5–6 May 2027 | 42% | 0% | 6.5 | 14° |
| Eta Aquariids * | 6–7 May 2027 | 35% | 1% | 6.3 | 14° |
| Perseids * | 12–13 August 2027 | 40% | 84% | 3.2 | 68° |
| Perseids * | 13–14 August 2027 | 33% | 90% | 2.2 | 68° |
| Orionids | 21–22 October 2027 | 43% | 58% | 3.3 | 58° |
| Leonids * | 17–18 November 2027 | 27% | 82% | 1.7 | 63° |
| Leonids * | 18–19 November 2027 | 28% | 72% | 3.0 | 63° |
| Geminids | 14–15 December 2027 | 37% | 98% | 0.0 | 75° |
* The peak falls in daylight in Europe, so both neighbouring nights are shown.
Clear peak night: at least 2 hours with ≤ 20 % cloud while the Sun is below −12°, on the same calendar night ± 1 in 2006–2025.