Is tonight good for stargazing in Exmoor?
Sky quality tonight
Best 2 hours: 04:00–05:49This week’s nights
Europe/LondonHow the score works
Stargazing around Exmoor
Exmoor is itself a dark-sky destination.
Darker skies nearby
- Gower National Landscape Dark Sky CommunityInternational Dark Sky Community (2025)63 km as the crow flies
- Dartmoor National ParkNo formal dark-sky designation66 km as the crow flies
- Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park Dark Sky ReserveInternational Dark Sky Reserve (2013)77 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.
Darkness through the year
- From about 24 May to 18 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 Exmoor, 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 Exmoor: questions
When does it get properly dark in Exmoor?
Between about 24 May and 18 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 Exmoor?
From Exmoor'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 Gower National Landscape Dark Sky Community, about 63 km away.
Where is the nearest dark-sky place to Exmoor?
Gower National Landscape Dark Sky Community: International Dark Sky Community (2025), about 63 km as the crow flies.
What is the best time of year for stargazing in Exmoor?
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.