When is Milky Way season in Spain?

On moonless nights the bright core of the Milky Way stands clear of the horizon in Spain from March to September. It climbs highest in the south: about 33° above the horizon in Arona, Canary Islands, and only about 17° in Avilés, Asturias.

150+ nights100+ nights50+ nights1 to 49nonenights in 2027 with the core up in moonless darkness

Canary Islands

When is Milky Way season in each part of Spain?

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.

The darkest places in Spain 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. Cumbre Vieja Natural Park Canary Islands · Bortle 3 · core up to 32°148 nights
2. Caldera de Taburiente National Park Canary Islands · Bortle 3 · core up to 32°147 nights
3. La Palma Canary Islands · Bortle 3 · core up to 32°147 nights
4. Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park Aragon · Bortle 3 · core up to 18°95 nights
5. Valles Occidentales Natural Park Aragon · Bortle 3 · core up to 18°94 nights

Which months have the most Milky Way nights in Spain?

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.

How the Milky Way dates for Spain 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