Is tonight good for stargazing in Cologne?
Sky quality tonight
Best 2 hours: 20:29–22:00This week’s nights
Europe/BerlinHow the score works
Stargazing around Cologne
Darker skies nearby
- Sternenpark Nationalpark EifelInternational Dark Sky Park (2014)51 km as the crow flies
- Hoge Kempen National ParkNo formal dark-sky designation102 km as the crow flies
- Sternenpark RhönInternational Dark Sky Reserve (2014)222 km as the crow flies
- Lauwersmeer National Park Dark Sky ParkInternational Dark Sky Park (2016)275 km as the crow flies
What you can realistically see from the city
- The Moon and the bright planets (Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars when it is close) show up even from a light-polluted centre on a clear night.
- Bright stars and constellations are easy. Through binoculars, the Pleiades and the Orion Nebula (winter) still stand out; faint galaxies do not.
- The Milky Way is not visible from central Cologne; you need a dark site outside the city.
Darkness through the year
- From about 25 May to 16 July the sun never gets 18° below the horizon, so the sky never becomes fully dark, even at 2 a.m.
- Around the winter solstice you get about 12 hours of full darkness.
- Nights with 9+ hours of full darkness: October – February.
- The bright core of the Milky Way (in Sagittarius) never climbs more than 10° above the southern horizon from Cologne, so it hides behind haze and buildings.
- The summer Milky Way through Cygnus is the one to look for: its brightest star, Deneb, passes 84° high.
Stargazing in Cologne: questions
When does it get properly dark in Cologne?
Between about 25 May and 16 July it never gets fully dark. The longest dark nights, around the winter solstice, give about 12 hours of full darkness. Months with 9+ hours: October – February.
Can you see the Milky Way from Cologne?
Not from the city centre. From Cologne's latitude the Milky Way's core peaks at only 10° above the horizon, so the band to look for is the summer Milky Way through Cygnus, which passes 84° high on dark nights from July to October. The nearest designated dark-sky place is Sternenpark Nationalpark Eifel, about 51 km away.
Where is the nearest dark-sky place to Cologne?
Sternenpark Nationalpark Eifel: International Dark Sky Park (2014), about 51 km as the crow flies.
What is the best time of year for stargazing in Cologne?
For long, fully dark nights: October – February. Around the winter solstice there are about 12 hours of full darkness. Check the score before you go; clouds decide more than the calendar.