YozoraAtlasyo·zo·ra (夜空) n. [Jap.] night sky

When can you see the Milky Way in Lithuania?

Nowhere in Lithuania does the bright core of the Milky Way climb clear of the horizon haze while the sky is fully dark. It peaks at about 7° in Alytus, Alytus County, and that happens around midsummer, when the sun never gets 18° below the horizon. What you can see is the rest of the band, high overhead on dark nights. The longest moonless nights come from September to March.

Where in Lithuania is the Milky Way band brightest?

The band needs a dark sky more than anything. Each county with its longest moonless nights, how many of its places are Bortle 1 to 3, and its darkest place.

State or regionLongest dark nightsBortle 1 to 3Darkest place
Utena CountySeptember to March2 of 5Aukštaitija National ParkBortle 3
Telšiai CountySeptember to March0 of 4Varniai Regional ParkBortle 4
Šiauliai CountySeptember to March0 of 2Tytuvėnai Regional ParkBortle 4
Alytus CountySeptember to March0 of 4Dzūkija National ParkBortle 4
Marijampolė CountySeptember to March0 of 3Vištytis Regional ParkBortle 4
Tauragė CountySeptember to March0 of 3Pagramantis Regional ParkBortle 4
Vilnius CountySeptember to March0 of 6Dieveniškės Historical Regional ParkBortle 4
Panevėžys CountySeptember to March0 of 3Krekenava Regional ParkBortle 4
Klaipėda CountySeptember to March0 of 4Nemunas Delta Regional ParkBortle 4
Kaunas CountySeptember to March0 of 4Nemunas Loops Regional ParkBortle 4

The darkest places in Lithuania to see the Milky Way

  1. Aukštaitija National Park Utena County · Bortle 321.72
  2. Gražutė Regional Park Utena County · Bortle 321.71
  3. Varniai Regional Park Telšiai County · Bortle 421.63
  4. Labanoras Regional Park Utena County · Bortle 421.63
  5. Tytuvėnai Regional Park Šiauliai County · Bortle 421.61
  6. Dzūkija National Park Alytus County · Bortle 421.59
  7. Žemaitija National Park Telšiai County · Bortle 421.59
  8. Vištytis Regional Park Marijampolė County · Bortle 421.57
  9. Pagramantis Regional Park Tauragė County · Bortle 421.54
  10. Dieveniškės Historical Regional Park Vilnius County · Bortle 421.52

Sky brightness overhead in mag/arcsec²: higher is darker, 21.95 is a natural sky.

Which months have the longest dark nights in Lithuania?

Hours per night with the sun more than 18° below the horizon and the moon down, for the median place in 2027. From May to July most of Lithuania gets no full darkness at all.

6.6 hJan5.4 hFeb4.6 hMar2.6 hApr0.3 hMay0.0 hJun0.0 hJul1.1 hAug3.5 hSep5.1 hOct6.0 hNov6.6 hDec

How the Milky Way dates for Lithuania 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