Stargazing at Picos de Europa National Park: when is the sky clear and dark?
December is the best month for stargazing at Picos de Europa National Park: on average 40 clear, moonless hours of full darkness, and 19% of nights have at least two of them (ERA5, 2006–2025). The darkest spot we found there is darker than 76% 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 | 12% | 21 | 183 | 12% |
| February | 17% | 29 | 142 | 20% |
| March | 13% | 19 | 138 | 14% |
| April | 14% | 19 | 108 | 18% |
| May | 10% | 12 | 83 | 15% |
| June | 10% | 10 | 62 | 16% |
| July | 12% | 14 | 74 | 19% |
| August | 15% | 19 | 102 | 18% |
| September | 18% | 26 | 129 | 20% |
| October | 22% | 33 | 155 | 22% |
| November | 15% | 26 | 168 | 16% |
| December | 19% | 40 | 182 | 22% |
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 | 76% of Europe’s land |
|---|---|
| Light pollution | dark rural sky (darkest 20–50 %) |
| Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — Darkest spot we found | 0.84 |
| Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — at the official map point | 1.11 |
| Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — median across the area | 1.28 |
| Darkest spot we found | 43.092, -4.875 (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 | 15% |
| 9 December 2026 | 8–9 December 2026 | 11.5 | 19% |
| 7 January 2027 | 7–8 January 2027 | 11.3 | 12% |
| 6 February 2027 | 6–7 February 2027 | 10.7 | 17% |
| 8 March 2027 | 7–8 March 2027 | 9.3 | 13% |
| 6 April 2027 | 6–7 April 2027 | 7.7 | 14% |
| 6 May 2027 | 5–6 May 2027 | 6.0 | 10% |
| 4 June 2027 | 4–5 June 2027 | 4.3 | 10% |
| 4 July 2027 | 3–4 July 2027 | 4.2 | 12% |
| 2 August 2027 | 1–2 August 2027 | 5.7 | 15% |
| 31 August 2027 | 31 August 2027 – 1 September 2027 | 7.5 | 15% |
| 30 September 2027 | 29–30 September 2027 | 9.2 | 18% |
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 | 32% | 55% | 6.3 | 68° |
| Geminids * | 13–14 December 2026 | 25% | 20% | 9.8 | 80° |
| Geminids * | 14–15 December 2026 | 28% | 29% | 8.8 | 80° |
| Quadrantids | 3–4 January 2027 | 27% | 13% | 11.3 | 68° |
| Lyrids | 22–23 April 2027 | 22% | 95% | 1.3 | 81° |
| Eta Aquariids * | 5–6 May 2027 | 17% | 0% | 7.3 | 20° |
| Eta Aquariids * | 6–7 May 2027 | 20% | 1% | 7.3 | 20° |
| Perseids * | 12–13 August 2027 | 35% | 84% | 3.0 | 67° |
| Perseids * | 13–14 August 2027 | 32% | 90% | 2.0 | 67° |
| Orionids | 21–22 October 2027 | 32% | 58% | 3.7 | 63° |
| Leonids | 17–18 November 2027 | 32% | 82% | 2.0 | 68° |
| Geminids | 14–15 December 2027 | 28% | 98% | 0.0 | 80° |
* 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.