Stargazing at Cabañeros National Park: when is the sky clear and dark?
August is the best month for stargazing at Cabañeros National Park: on average 86 clear, moonless hours of full darkness, and 55% of nights have at least two of them (ERA5, 2006–2025). The darkest spot we found there is darker than 81% of Europe’s land (NASA VIIRS 2025).
national park · Spain
Month by month
| Month | Nights with ≥ 2 such hours | Clear moonless dark hours | Moonless dark hours | Of them clear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34% | 61 | 177 | 34% |
| February | 37% | 61 | 142 | 43% |
| March | 34% | 57 | 142 | 40% |
| April | 28% | 43 | 114 | 38% |
| May | 35% | 46 | 94 | 48% |
| June | 41% | 46 | 76 | 60% |
| July | 58% | 78 | 92 | 84% |
| August | 55% | 86 | 112 | 77% |
| September | 43% | 68 | 131 | 52% |
| October | 36% | 63 | 155 | 40% |
| November | 37% | 71 | 168 | 42% |
| December | 36% | 70 | 176 | 40% |
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 | 81% of Europe’s land |
|---|---|
| Light pollution | very dark (darkest 5–20 %) |
| Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — Darkest spot we found | 0.57 |
| Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — at the official map point | 0.66 |
| Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — median across the area | 0.70 |
| Darkest spot we found | 39.342, -4.525 (map) — within 11 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 | 10.7 | 37% |
| 9 December 2026 | 8–9 December 2026 | 11.2 | 36% |
| 7 January 2027 | 7–8 January 2027 | 11.3 | 34% |
| 6 February 2027 | 6–7 February 2027 | 10.5 | 37% |
| 8 March 2027 | 7–8 March 2027 | 9.5 | 34% |
| 6 April 2027 | 6–7 April 2027 | 8.2 | 28% |
| 6 May 2027 | 5–6 May 2027 | 6.5 | 35% |
| 4 June 2027 | 4–5 June 2027 | 5.3 | 41% |
| 4 July 2027 | 3–4 July 2027 | 5.2 | 58% |
| 2 August 2027 | 1–2 August 2027 | 6.3 | 55% |
| 31 August 2027 | 31 August 2027 – 1 September 2027 | 7.8 | 55% |
| 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 | 63% | 55% | 6.0 | 71° |
| Geminids * | 13–14 December 2026 | 48% | 20% | 9.5 | 84° |
| Geminids * | 14–15 December 2026 | 48% | 29% | 8.5 | 84° |
| Quadrantids | 3–4 January 2027 | 50% | 13% | 10.8 | 64° |
| Lyrids | 22–23 April 2027 | 40% | 95% | 1.2 | 85° |
| Eta Aquariids * | 5–6 May 2027 | 65% | 0% | 7.7 | 23° |
| Eta Aquariids * | 6–7 May 2027 | 57% | 1% | 7.7 | 24° |
| Perseids * | 12–13 August 2027 | 88% | 84% | 3.0 | 65° |
| Perseids * | 13–14 August 2027 | 88% | 90% | 2.0 | 65° |
| Orionids | 21–22 October 2027 | 47% | 58% | 3.8 | 67° |
| Leonids * | 17–18 November 2027 | 63% | 82% | 2.0 | 71° |
| Leonids * | 18–19 November 2027 | 63% | 72% | 3.3 | 71° |
| Geminids | 14–15 December 2027 | 48% | 98% | 0.0 | 84° |
* 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.