Starlight Destination and Reserve
La Palma Tourism says the island was a pioneer in obtaining both Starlight Destination and Starlight Reserve certification, and maintains a network of astronomical viewpoints.
Source: La Palma TourismLa Palma night sky tonight
An island whose sky is protected by law since 1988 — with public viewpoints below the observatory barrier.
Calculated for Llanos del Jable astronomical viewpoint (28.618, -17.847)Local time GMT+0 (UTC+0)
Tonight at a glance · Fri 6 Nov
Stargazing assessment
Stargazing at Llanos del Jable astronomical viewpointForecast
Skip
Skip tonight. Monday will be much better.
Don't bother tonight — plan for Monday instead.
Heavy cloud, 99% night average · Moon is nearly dark (5%) · 10.4 h of full darkness · Nothing on tonight's list rates well
How to interpret this assessment
Go means conditions are usable; Wait is shown only when remaining earlier scored hours support a timing improvement; Later window means there is no demonstrated reason to delay. Neither label ranks places. The window is selected by hourly cloud, darkness, Moon altitude and rain, with whole-night context in the verdict. It is not a guarantee or proof that earlier hours are unusable. Artificial light, terrain, access and personal safety are not scored. The former confidence percentage was an uncalibrated internal heuristic using forecast coverage, cloud variation, rain and score margin — not the probability of clear weather or a successful outing. It is no longer shown here.
Whole-night context — not just the chosen window
- Heavy cloud, 99% night average
- Moon is nearly dark (5%)
- 10.4 h of full darkness
- Nothing on tonight's list rates well
Sunset
18:23
Cloud at sunset: no forecast
Full darkness
19:43
Sun 18° below horizon
Best stargazing window
No usable window
Inside astronomical darkness · Tonight engine
Night cloud
99%
Live forecast in use
Moon
5% lit
Waning Crescent · up ≈2% of dark hours
Milky Way core
19:43–19:46
peaks 11° high
Choose tonight’s experience
- General stargazing
- Skip. Use the forecast window and check the sky locally.
- Milky Way
- Check 19:43–19:46 above 10° (geometry only); verify cloud and local lighting.
- Planets
- Mars highest at 06:30 · Jupiter highest at 06:30 · Saturn highest at 22:45. Geometry only; check cloud at these times. A full Moon does not rule out bright planets.
- Meteors
- Skip tonight — cloud. Cloud cover is heavy during the best observing window, leaving little chance of catching the Orionids.
- Sunset
- Plan for 18:23 · cloud not confirmed. Colour and a clear local horizon are not predicted.
Compare the selected locations
Each place has its own forecast and calculation. Go and Wait describe timing, not a ranking of places. Compare the chosen window, not only the whole-night cloud average. Artificial light and access rules are not scored; a place marked “Sky conditions only” is not a visit recommendation.
| Place | Stargazing | Night cloud | Darkness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Llanos del Jable astronomical viewpointA public astronomical viewpoint with parking and an information panel. | SkipDon't bother tonight — plan for Monday instead.Scored conditionsHeavy cloud, 99% night average · Moon is nearly dark (5%) · 10.4 h of full darkness · Nothing on tonight's list rates well Live forecast in use. Calculated Sat 7 Nov, 03:05. | 99% | Full dark from 19:43 |
| Santa Cruz de La Palma (east coast)Island capital. Assessed separately from Llanos del Jable; these are different forecast locations, not a summit-versus-coast comparison. | SkipDon't bother tonight — plan for Monday instead.Scored conditionsHeavy cloud, 99% night average · Moon is nearly dark (5%) · 10.4 h of full darkness · Nothing on tonight's list rates well Live forecast in use. Calculated Sat 7 Nov, 03:05. | 99% | Full dark from 19:43 |
Sunset and twilight
Evening of Fri 6 NovAstronomy
18:23
Sunset
18:47
Civil twilight ends
19:15
Nautical twilight ends
19:43
Astronomical darkness
Astronomical darkness begins at 19:43. Faint-star and Milky Way visibility also depends on cloud, Moon, artificial light and the local horizon. Morning: darkness ends 06:07, sunrise 07:28.
Times in Atlantic/Canary (GMT+0, UTC+0). This zone observes daylight saving time; no change in the next eight days.
Moon tonight
Fri 6 NovAstronomy
- Phase
- Waning Crescent · 5% lit
- Next moonrise
- Sat 7 Nov, 05:44 · east-southeast
- Next moonset
- Sat 7 Nov, 17:05 · west-southwest
- During the dark hours
- Above the horizon 2% of the time, up to 2°
- Next full Moon
- 24 November 2026
- Next new Moon
- 9 November 2026
The Moon is less than 15% lit, so its effect is reduced, not necessarily absent.
Milky Way core
Galactic centre in SagittariusAstronomy
- Tonight
- 19:43–19:46, highest 11° in the southwest
- Highest point possible here
- 32° above the horizon
- Best months (dark-hours window)
- Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sept
- Moonlight tonight
- Bright-Moon warning not triggered; check Moon timing above
The window needs astronomical darkness and the core at least 10° up. Core positions include refraction and are sampled each minute; these are timing estimates, not guaranteed visibility. Hills, trees and town glow near the horizon can still hide it.
Planets tonight
Above the horizon vs. easy to seeAstronomy
- MercuryUp tonight, but low or only in twilight
- VenusUp tonight, but low or only in twilight
- MarsFavourable geometry · best 06:30, 69° southeast
- JupiterFavourable geometry · best 06:30, 65° southeast
- SaturnFavourable geometry · best 22:45, 62° south
"Favourable geometry" means at least 10° up while the Sun is 12° or more below the horizon. Cloud, Moon and local obstructions are not included; positions are sampled every 15 minutes.
Meteor showers
Tonight · OrionidsForecast
Skip tonight — cloud
- Radiant
- 39° high in the east
- Ideal peak rate (ZHR)
- 20/hr — ideal conditions at peak, not a local count
- Modelled clear-sky rate
- ~0/hr
- Weather-adjusted rate
- ~0/hr
Rates are approximate modelled estimates, not measured or guaranteed counts. Observing windows use 30-minute samples: any start or end is approximate and may differ by almost 30 minutes from a continuous crossing. Radiants use fixed peak positions; daily radiant drift is not modelled. The model assumes a fixed, moderately dark sky; town light can cut what you see well below these figures.
Coming upAstronomy
- Leonidsreference maximum ≈ Tue 17 Nov, 23:45 local · IMO 2026
- Geminidsreference maximum ≈ Mon 14 Dec, 14:00 local · IMO 2026
- Quadrantidsreference maximum ≈ Mon 4 Jan, 03:25 local · IMO 2027
- Lyridsreference maximum ≈ Fri 23 Apr, 02:40 local · IMO 2027
- Eta Aquariidsreference maximum ≈ Thu 6 May, 10:00 local · IMO 2027
Year-specific IMO predictions, not guaranteed or observed peaks. Date-only maxima are not assigned an invented local hour. The rate model above still uses typical annual peak dates and fixed radiant positions; it does not model the published peak ranges or daily radiant drift.
Plan your trip: the next eight evenings
Lowest-cloud evening (weather only): Sun 8 Nov (lowest mean night cloud). The overall recommendation at the top also weighs moonlight and darkness, so it can name a different night. Cloud is shown only where the forecast covers the night. Values come from an eight-day forecast — the later evenings are less certain than the first, so check again close to the date.
| Evening | Sunset | Full dark | Moon | Night cloudForecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 7 Nov | 18:22 | 19:43 | 2% · down | 99% |
| Sun 8 NovLowest cloud | 18:21 | 19:42 | 0% · down | 48% |
| Mon 9 Nov | 18:21 | 19:42 | 1% · down | Beyond forecast |
| Tue 10 Nov | 18:20 | 19:41 | 3% · down | Beyond forecast |
| Wed 11 Nov | 18:20 | 19:41 | 7% · up ≈2% | Beyond forecast |
| Thu 12 Nov | 18:19 | 19:40 | 13% · up ≈9% | Beyond forecast |
| Fri 13 Nov | 18:19 | 19:40 | 20% · up ≈19% | Beyond forecast |
| Sat 14 Nov | 18:18 | 19:40 | 28% · up ≈28% | Beyond forecast |
Astronomy only. No weather is given for this selected date. Moon-up percentages are approximate 15-minute samples across astronomical darkness; Milky Way positions include refraction and one-minute sampling, not visibility guarantees.
La Palma through the year
Astronomy on the 15th of each month — not a weather or climate forecast. Each core window uses astronomical darkness and its stated altitude threshold (10°, or a lower 5°/2° threshold when the core stays low). Low-altitude windows are marginal geometry, not equivalent to a 10° window or a visibility recommendation.Astronomy
| Month | Full darkness | Milky Way core in darkness |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10.7 h | 0.1 h above 2° · up to 3° |
| Feb | 10.1 h | 1.1 h above 10° · up to 20° |
| Mar | 9.4 h | 2.5 h above 10° · up to 29° |
| Apr | 8.4 h | 3.9 h above 10° · up to 32° |
| May | 7.5 h | 5.3 h above 10° · up to 32° |
| Jun | 6.9 h | 6.9 h above 10° · up to 32° |
| Jul | 7.2 h | 5.5 h above 10° · up to 32° |
| Aug | 8.0 h | 4.0 h above 10° · up to 32° |
| Sept | 9.0 h | 2.6 h above 10° · up to 30° |
| Oct | 9.9 h | 1.2 h above 10° · up to 21° |
| Nov | 10.6 h | 0.0 h above 5° · up to 5° |
| Dec | 10.9 h | — |
La Palma: the local guide
Sources are linked below. Tourism descriptions do not confirm current access, closures or safety. Sky calculations use an ideal horizon, not local mountain or building profiles.
The Sky Law
Spain's 1988 sky-protection law for La Palma guards against light, atmospheric and radio pollution and restricts flight paths, to protect astronomical observation.
Source: La Palma TourismThe observatory is closed at night
The Roque de los Muchachos observatory area cannot be visited by night. La Palma Tourism describes night viewing near the LP-4/LP-403 junction below the barrier. Check current road restrictions; these calculations do not confirm access.
Source: La Palma TourismLlanos del Jable: panel, parking, no services
The Llanos del Jable viewpoint has an information panel and plenty of parking, but no services nearby. Dress warmly.
Source: La Palma TourismJanuary after nightfall
La Palma Tourism recommends this viewpoint just after nightfall in January for Pegasus, Cassiopeia and Andromeda; on a moonless night, binoculars help with the Andromeda Galaxy.
Source: La Palma TourismWhy this calculation point: A public astronomical viewpoint with parking and an information panel.
Forecast fetched Sat 7 Nov, 03:06 local time · weather: Live forecast in use. Astronomy: astronomy-engine, twilight on the geometric Sun (USNO convention), times rounded to the nearest minute.