Dark Sky Odds

Stargazing at Exmoor National Park: when is the sky clear and dark?

March is the best month for stargazing at Exmoor National Park: on average 30 clear, moonless hours of full darkness, and 20% of nights have at least two of them (ERA5, 2006–2025). The darkest spot we found there is darker than 74% of Europe’s land (NASA VIIRS 2025).

How it works ↓

Data updated: 31 December 2025 · Sources and licences

Calculated 5 November 2026 · cloud cover ERA5 2006–2025 · night lights NASA VIIRS 2025

International Dark Sky Reserve · national park · United Kingdom · DarkSky International

MarchBest month
169Clear moonless dark hours a year
74%darker than … of Europe’s land
20%Nights with ≥ 2 such hours (March)

Month by month

MonthNights with ≥ 2 such hoursClear moonless dark hoursMoonless dark hoursOf them clear
January14%2218712%
February13%1814212%
March20%3013023%
April18%218724%
May6%63120%
June0%00—
July2%21416%
August7%87810%
September10%1611813%
October11%1715311%
November11%151679%
December10%151878%

No astronomical darkness (June): the Sun stays above −18° all night.

People travel to Exmoor National Park for the stars in spring, not during the long winter nights. Winter has more darkness, but clouds eat up nearly all of it.

March versus December

December has 187 moonless dark hours, but only 8% are clear, leaving 15. March has less darkness, 130 hours, yet 23% are clear, which makes 30 hours. January gives 22 hours, April 21. Astronomical darkness is absent only in June. For a March trip, the new moon night of 7–8 March 2027 fits well: 9 moonless dark hours. The Lyrids on the night of 22–23 April 2027 give a 35% chance of a clear peak night, but with the Moon 95% lit there are just 1.3 hours of moonless darkness.

Exmoor and its neighbours

The national park and International Dark Sky Reserve is darker than 74% of Europe’s land, with light pollution classed as “dark rural sky”. Dartmoor (67 km) and Bodmin Moor (90 km) are darker, at 77% each, but they get 151 and 154 clear hours a year against Exmoor’s 169. If clear nights matter more to you, head here; this is the climate of 2006–2025, not a forecast (methodology).

Light pollution

Darker than74% of Europe’s land
Light pollutiondark rural sky (darkest 20–50 %)
Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — Darkest spot we found0.97
Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — at the official map point1.06
Sky-glow index (own, VIIRS) — median across the area1.10
Darkest spot we found51.142, -3.825 (map) — within 15 km of the Wikidata point (no OSM boundary)

Next new moons

New moonNightMoonless dark hours that nightTypical share of good nights that month
9 November 20268–9 November 202610.811%
9 December 20268–9 December 202611.810%
7 January 20277–8 January 202711.814%
6 February 20276–7 February 202710.813%
8 March 20277–8 March 20279.020%
6 April 20276–7 April 20276.718%
6 May 20275–6 May 20273.86%
4 June 20274–5 June 20270.00%
4 July 20273–4 July 20270.02%
2 August 20271–2 August 20273.27%
31 August 202731 August 2027 – 1 September 20276.37%
30 September 202729–30 September 20278.710%

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

ShowerPeak nightChance of a clear peak nightMoon litMoonless dark hours (Sun < −12°)Radiant max. height
Leonids17–18 November 202622%55%6.760°
Geminids *13–14 December 202623%20%10.572°
Geminids *14–15 December 202620%29%9.572°
Quadrantids3–4 January 202725%13%12.372°
Lyrids22–23 April 202735%95%1.372°
Eta Aquariids *5–6 May 202728%0%6.011°
Eta Aquariids *6–7 May 202723%1%5.810°
Perseids *12–13 August 202718%84%3.267°
Perseids *13–14 August 202717%90%2.268°
Orionids21–22 October 202717%58%3.055°
Leonids17–18 November 202722%82%1.560°
Geminids14–15 December 202720%98%0.072°

* 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.

How we calculate

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