YozoraAtlas

When is Milky Way season in France?

On moonless nights the bright core of the Milky Way stands clear of the horizon in France from April to July. It climbs highest in the south: about 19° above the horizon in Ajaccio, Corsica, and only about 12° in Saint-Brieuc, Brittany. Further north it never clears 10° while the sky is fully dark: 11 of the 90 places on Yozora Atlas in France have no Milky Way core nights at all.

150+ nights100+ nights50+ nights1 to 49nonenights in 2027 with the core up in moonless darkness
Night-lights map of France with every place colored by its Milky Way core nights in 2027

When is Milky Way season in each part of France?

The months when most of a region’s places have the core up, how high it climbs at the region’s southern edge, the median core nights in 2027, and the darkest place to see it from.

State or regionSeasonCore heightNights in 2027Darkest place to see it
CorsicaApril to Augustup to 19°100AjaccioBortle 5, 100 nights
OccitanieApril to Augustup to 18°92Cévennes National ParkBortle 3, 87 nights
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'AzurApril to Augustup to 18°90Écrins National ParkBortle 4, 83 nights
Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesApril to Augustup to 17°75Baronnies Provençales Regional Natural ParkBortle 4, 87 nights
Nouvelle-AquitaineApril to Julyup to 18°69MillevachesBortle 3, 69 nights
Pays de la LoireMay to Julyup to 14°49CholetBortle 5, 55 nights
Bourgogne-Franche-ComtéMay to Julyup to 14°48the MorvanBortle 3, 52 nights
Centre-Val de LoireMay to Julyup to 14°47BloisBortle 5, 42 nights
BrittanyMay to Julyup to 13°36Saint-BrieucBortle 5, 27 nights
Grand EstMay to Julyup to 13°19Forêts National ParkBortle 3, 37 nights

The darkest places in France with the most Milky Way nights

Bortle 1 to 3 places, by nights in 2027 with the core more than 10° up for an hour of moonless darkness.

  1. Pyrénées National Park Occitanie · Bortle 3 · core up to 18°94 nights
  2. Pic du Midi de Bigorre Occitanie · Bortle 3 · core up to 18°93 nights
  3. Cévennes National Park Occitanie · Bortle 3 · core up to 17°87 nights
  4. Millevaches Nouvelle-Aquitaine · Bortle 3 · core up to 15°69 nights
  5. the Morvan Bourgogne-Franche-Comté · Bortle 3 · core up to 14°52 nights
  6. Forêts National Park Grand Est · Bortle 3 · core up to 13°37 nights

Which months have the most Milky Way nights in France?

The median place has the core up on the most moonless nights in May. The core rises before dawn in spring, is up most of the night in early summer and sets in the evening by autumn; each place page lists its own nights and the 2027 new moons.

0Jan0Feb0Mar4Apr17May14Jun16Jul7Aug0Sep0Oct0Nov0Dec

How the Milky Way dates for France are calculated

The positions of the sun, the moon and the center of the Milky Way are calculated for every night of 2027 at each place. A night counts when the core stands more than 10° above the horizon for at least an hour while the sun is more than 18° below the horizon and the moon has set. These are calculated positions; whether a night is clear is only known closer to the date. How it works