When is Milky Way season in Switzerland?
On moonless nights the bright core of the Milky Way stands clear of the horizon in Switzerland from May to July. It climbs highest in the south: about 15° above the horizon in Geneva, Geneva, and only about 13° in Basel, Basel-City.
When is Milky Way season in each part of Switzerland?
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 region | Season | Core height | Nights in 2027 | Darkest place to see it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva | April to July | up to 15° | 66 | GenevaBortle 6, 66 nights |
| Ticino | April to July | up to 15° | 66 | BellinzonaBortle 5, 65 nights |
| Valais | April to July | up to 15° | 66 | SionBortle 5, 66 nights |
| Vaud | May to July | up to 15° | 62 | Gruyère Pays-d'Enhaut Regional ParkBortle 4, 63 nights |
| Fribourg | May to July | up to 14° | 60 | BulleBortle 5, 62 nights |
| Grisons | May to July | up to 14° | 58 | Swiss National ParkBortle 4, 59 nights |
| Bern | May to July | up to 14° | 55 | GantrischBortle 4, 59 nights |
| Neuchâtel | May to July | up to 14° | 55 | La Chaux-de-FondsBortle 4, 54 nights |
| Lucerne | May to July | up to 14° | 54 | LucerneBortle 5, 54 nights |
| Zug | May to July | up to 14° | 52 | ZugBortle 5, 52 nights |
| Solothurn | May to July | up to 14° | 49 | Thal Nature ParkBortle 4, 49 nights |
| Aargau | May to July | up to 14° | 48 | AarauBortle 5, 48 nights |
| Zurich | May to July | up to 14° | 47 | WetzikonBortle 5, 47 nights |
| St. Gallen | May to July | up to 14° | 46 | RapperswilBortle 5, 50 nights |
| Basel-City | May to July | up to 13° | 43 | BaselBortle 6, 43 nights |
| Thurgau | May to July | up to 13° | 42 | FrauenfeldBortle 5, 45 nights |
| Schaffhausen | May to July | up to 13° | 42 | SchaffhausenBortle 5, 42 nights |
The darkest places in Switzerland 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.
Which months have the most Milky Way nights in Switzerland?
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 Switzerland 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