Stargazing at Pantelleria National Park: when is the sky clear and dark?
August is the best month for stargazing at Pantelleria National Park: on average 97 clear, moonless hours of full darkness, and 62% of nights have at least two of them (ERA5, 2006–2025). The darkest spot we found there is darker than 54% of Europe’s land (NASA VIIRS 2025).
national park · Italy
Month by month
| Month | Nights with ≥ 2 such hours | Clear moonless dark hours | Moonless dark hours | Of them clear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28% | 43 | 170 | 25% |
| February | 31% | 44 | 142 | 31% |
| March | 35% | 54 | 146 | 37% |
| April | 36% | 48 | 115 | 42% |
| May | 40% | 52 | 104 | 50% |
| June | 54% | 67 | 92 | 73% |
| July | 61% | 85 | 95 | 90% |
| August | 62% | 97 | 117 | 82% |
| September | 43% | 65 | 135 | 48% |
| October | 41% | 65 | 155 | 42% |
| November | 33% | 57 | 168 | 34% |
| December | 29% | 44 | 173 | 25% |
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 | 54% of Europe’s land |
|---|---|
| Light pollution | dark rural sky (darkest 20–50 %) |
| Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — Darkest spot we found | 3.04 |
| Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — at the official map point | 11 |
| Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — median across the area | 10 |
| Darkest spot we found | 36.758, 12.042 (map) — within the 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 | 10.7 | 33% |
| 9 December 2026 | 8–9 December 2026 | 11.3 | 29% |
| 7 January 2027 | 7–8 January 2027 | 11.2 | 28% |
| 6 February 2027 | 6–7 February 2027 | 10.5 | 31% |
| 8 March 2027 | 7–8 March 2027 | 9.5 | 35% |
| 6 April 2027 | 6–7 April 2027 | 8.3 | 36% |
| 6 May 2027 | 5–6 May 2027 | 6.8 | 40% |
| 4 June 2027 | 4–5 June 2027 | 5.8 | 54% |
| 4 July 2027 | 3–4 July 2027 | 5.7 | 61% |
| 2 August 2027 | 1–2 August 2027 | 6.7 | 62% |
| 31 August 2027 | 31 August 2027 – 1 September 2027 | 8.0 | 62% |
| 30 September 2027 | 29–30 September 2027 | 9.2 | 43% |
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 | 53% | 55% | 6.0 | 73° |
| Geminids * | 13–14 December 2026 | 55% | 20% | 9.5 | 86° |
| Geminids * | 14–15 December 2026 | 60% | 28% | 8.5 | 86° |
| Quadrantids | 3–4 January 2027 | 52% | 13% | 10.7 | 62° |
| Lyrids | 22–23 April 2027 | 65% | 95% | 1.0 | 87° |
| Eta Aquariids * | 5–6 May 2027 | 68% | 0% | 8.2 | 27° |
| Eta Aquariids * | 6–7 May 2027 | 60% | 0% | 8.0 | 26° |
| Perseids * | 12–13 August 2027 | 92% | 84% | 3.0 | 63° |
| Perseids * | 13–14 August 2027 | 93% | 90% | 2.0 | 64° |
| Orionids | 21–22 October 2027 | 57% | 58% | 3.8 | 69° |
| Leonids * | 17–18 November 2027 | 53% | 82% | 2.0 | 73° |
| Leonids * | 18–19 November 2027 | 58% | 73% | 3.2 | 73° |
| Geminids | 14–15 December 2027 | 60% | 98% | 0.0 | 86° |
* 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.