Stargazing at Timanfaya National Park: when is the sky clear and dark?
December is the best month for stargazing at Timanfaya National Park: on average 66 clear, moonless hours of full darkness, and 36% of nights have at least two of them (ERA5, 2006–2025). The darkest spot we found there is darker than 62% 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% | 55 | 172 | 32% |
| February | 33% | 49 | 145 | 34% |
| March | 30% | 45 | 141 | 32% |
| April | 27% | 37 | 130 | 29% |
| May | 21% | 29 | 111 | 26% |
| June | 24% | 31 | 106 | 29% |
| July | 33% | 45 | 110 | 41% |
| August | 34% | 52 | 128 | 41% |
| September | 32% | 44 | 137 | 32% |
| October | 33% | 52 | 157 | 33% |
| November | 30% | 47 | 158 | 30% |
| December | 36% | 66 | 172 | 38% |
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 | 62% of Europe’s land |
|---|---|
| Light pollution | dark rural sky (darkest 20–50 %) |
| Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — Darkest spot we found | 2.03 |
| Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — at the official map point | 3.23 |
| Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — median across the area | 2.83 |
| Darkest spot we found | 29.025, -13.808 (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 | 10.5 | 30% |
| 9 December 2026 | 8–9 December 2026 | 10.8 | 36% |
| 7 January 2027 | 7–8 January 2027 | 10.8 | 34% |
| 6 February 2027 | 6–7 February 2027 | 10.3 | 33% |
| 8 March 2027 | 7–8 March 2027 | 9.7 | 30% |
| 6 April 2027 | 6–7 April 2027 | 8.7 | 27% |
| 6 May 2027 | 5–6 May 2027 | 7.7 | 21% |
| 4 June 2027 | 4–5 June 2027 | 7.0 | 24% |
| 4 July 2027 | 3–4 July 2027 | 6.8 | 33% |
| 2 August 2027 | 1–2 August 2027 | 7.5 | 34% |
| 31 August 2027 | 31 August 2027 – 1 September 2027 | 8.7 | 34% |
| 30 September 2027 | 29–30 September 2027 | 9.3 | 32% |
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 | 68% | 55% | 5.5 | 76° |
| Geminids * | 13–14 December 2026 | 62% | 21% | 8.8 | 86° |
| Geminids * | 14–15 December 2026 | 65% | 29% | 8.0 | 86° |
| Quadrantids | 3–4 January 2027 | 60% | 13% | 10.2 | 55° |
| Lyrids | 22–23 April 2027 | 35% | 95% | 1.2 | 85° |
| Eta Aquariids * | 5–6 May 2027 | 43% | 0% | 8.8 | 33° |
| Eta Aquariids * | 6–7 May 2027 | 52% | 1% | 8.8 | 34° |
| Perseids * | 12–13 August 2027 | 55% | 84% | 2.7 | 58° |
| Perseids * | 13–14 August 2027 | 55% | 91% | 1.8 | 58° |
| Orionids | 21–22 October 2027 | 45% | 58% | 4.2 | 77° |
| Leonids | 17–18 November 2027 | 68% | 82% | 2.3 | 76° |
| Geminids | 14–15 December 2027 | 65% | 97% | 0.2 | 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.