Stargazing at National park Šar Planina: when is the sky clear and dark?
August is the best month for stargazing at National park Šar Planina: on average 62 clear, moonless hours of full darkness, and 43% of nights have at least two of them (ERA5, 2006–2025). The darkest spot we found there is darker than 58% of Europe’s land (NASA VIIRS 2025).
national park · North Macedonia
Month by month
| Month | Nights with ≥ 2 such hours | Clear moonless dark hours | Moonless dark hours | Of them clear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19% | 33 | 174 | 19% |
| February | 21% | 34 | 149 | 23% |
| March | 22% | 35 | 137 | 26% |
| April | 23% | 28 | 109 | 26% |
| May | 17% | 20 | 89 | 22% |
| June | 23% | 24 | 61 | 39% |
| July | 40% | 48 | 80 | 59% |
| August | 43% | 62 | 107 | 58% |
| September | 30% | 47 | 126 | 38% |
| October | 30% | 53 | 158 | 34% |
| November | 25% | 45 | 168 | 26% |
| December | 26% | 44 | 188 | 23% |
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 | 58% of Europe’s land |
|---|---|
| Light pollution | dark rural sky (darkest 20–50 %) |
| Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — Darkest spot we found | 2.42 |
| Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — at the official map point | 6.67 |
| Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — median across the area | 9.36 |
| Darkest spot we found | 41.808, 20.725 (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 | 10.8 | 25% |
| 9 December 2026 | 8–9 December 2026 | 11.5 | 26% |
| 7 January 2027 | 7–8 January 2027 | 11.3 | 19% |
| 6 February 2027 | 6–7 February 2027 | 10.5 | 21% |
| 8 March 2027 | 7–8 March 2027 | 9.3 | 22% |
| 6 April 2027 | 6–7 April 2027 | 7.8 | 23% |
| 6 May 2027 | 6–7 May 2027 | 6.0 | 17% |
| 4 June 2027 | 4–5 June 2027 | 4.7 | 23% |
| 4 July 2027 | 3–4 July 2027 | 4.5 | 40% |
| 2 August 2027 | 1–2 August 2027 | 5.8 | 43% |
| 31 August 2027 | 31 August 2027 – 1 September 2027 | 7.5 | 43% |
| 30 September 2027 | 29–30 September 2027 | 9.0 | 30% |
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 | 33% | 54% | 6.2 | 69° |
| Geminids * | 13–14 December 2026 | 30% | 20% | 9.8 | 81° |
| Geminids * | 14–15 December 2026 | 30% | 28% | 8.8 | 81° |
| Quadrantids | 3–4 January 2027 | 33% | 13% | 11.2 | 66° |
| Lyrids | 22–23 April 2027 | 30% | 95% | 1.2 | 82° |
| Eta Aquariids * | 5–6 May 2027 | 28% | 0% | 7.5 | 20° |
| Eta Aquariids * | 6–7 May 2027 | 33% | 0% | 7.5 | 21° |
| Perseids * | 12–13 August 2027 | 73% | 84% | 3.0 | 66° |
| Perseids * | 13–14 August 2027 | 72% | 90% | 2.0 | 66° |
| Orionids | 21–22 October 2027 | 47% | 59% | 3.7 | 64° |
| Leonids * | 17–18 November 2027 | 33% | 82% | 2.0 | 69° |
| Leonids * | 18–19 November 2027 | 33% | 73% | 3.2 | 69° |
| Geminids | 14–15 December 2027 | 30% | 98% | 0.0 | 81° |
* 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.