Stargazing at Garajonay National Park: when is the sky clear and dark?
August is the best month for stargazing at Garajonay National Park: on average 108 clear, moonless hours of full darkness, and 65% of nights have at least two of them (ERA5, 2006–2025). The darkest spot we found there is darker than 60% 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 | 48% | 86 | 166 | 52% |
| February | 51% | 81 | 142 | 57% |
| March | 47% | 78 | 148 | 53% |
| April | 51% | 77 | 130 | 59% |
| May | 49% | 67 | 111 | 61% |
| June | 56% | 80 | 106 | 76% |
| July | 67% | 102 | 114 | 89% |
| August | 65% | 108 | 130 | 84% |
| September | 55% | 88 | 138 | 64% |
| October | 46% | 77 | 153 | 50% |
| November | 43% | 73 | 168 | 43% |
| December | 50% | 88 | 172 | 51% |
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 | 60% of Europe’s land |
|---|---|
| Light pollution | dark rural sky (darkest 20–50 %) |
| Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — Darkest spot we found | 2.28 |
| Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — at the official map point | 2.28 |
| Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — median across the area | 3.00 |
| Darkest spot we found | 28.125, -17.242 (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 | 10.3 | 43% |
| 9 December 2026 | 8–9 December 2026 | 10.8 | 50% |
| 7 January 2027 | 7–8 January 2027 | 10.7 | 48% |
| 6 February 2027 | 6–7 February 2027 | 10.3 | 51% |
| 8 March 2027 | 7–8 March 2027 | 9.5 | 47% |
| 6 April 2027 | 6–7 April 2027 | 8.8 | 51% |
| 6 May 2027 | 5–6 May 2027 | 7.7 | 49% |
| 4 June 2027 | 4–5 June 2027 | 7.0 | 56% |
| 4 July 2027 | 3–4 July 2027 | 7.0 | 67% |
| 2 August 2027 | 1–2 August 2027 | 7.7 | 65% |
| 31 August 2027 | 31 August 2027 – 1 September 2027 | 8.5 | 65% |
| 30 September 2027 | 29–30 September 2027 | 9.5 | 55% |
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 | 72% | 56% | 5.5 | 76° |
| Geminids * | 13–14 December 2026 | 75% | 21% | 8.8 | 85° |
| Geminids * | 14–15 December 2026 | 73% | 29% | 7.8 | 85° |
| Quadrantids | 3–4 January 2027 | 75% | 13% | 10.0 | 54° |
| Lyrids | 22–23 April 2027 | 80% | 95% | 1.0 | 84° |
| Eta Aquariids * | 5–6 May 2027 | 67% | 0% | 8.8 | 35° |
| Eta Aquariids * | 6–7 May 2027 | 70% | 1% | 8.7 | 34° |
| Perseids * | 12–13 August 2027 | 92% | 84% | 2.8 | 57° |
| Perseids * | 13–14 August 2027 | 93% | 91% | 1.8 | 58° |
| Orionids | 21–22 October 2027 | 78% | 58% | 4.3 | 78° |
| Leonids | 17–18 November 2027 | 72% | 82% | 2.5 | 75° |
| Geminids | 14–15 December 2027 | 73% | 97% | 0.2 | 85° |
* 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.