Stargazing at Atacama Desert
near San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. Calculated 24 October 2026 with Astronomy Engine 2.1.19 (MIT licence).
The high desert of northern Chile around San Pedro de Atacama, the base for most stargazing trips in the region.
The darkest weeks ahead
Runs of nights when the Moon is down for almost all of the dark hours. Plan your stay inside one of these.
- 3 Nov to 11 Nov 2026 (9 nights)
- 4 Dec to 12 Dec 2026 (9 nights)
- 3 Jan to 11 Jan 2027 (9 nights)
- 2 Feb to 11 Feb 2027 (10 nights)
- 4 Mar to 12 Mar 2027 (9 nights)
- 2 Apr to 10 Apr 2027 (9 nights)
- 2 May to 9 May 2027 (8 nights)
- 31 May to 7 Jun 2027 (8 nights)
Month by month
| Month | Full darkness | Milky Way centre up |
|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 8.7 h | 2.3 h |
| November 2026 | 8 h | not in the dark hours |
| December 2026 | 7.3 h | not in the dark hours |
| January 2027 | 7.8 h | not in the dark hours |
| February 2027 | 8.3 h | 2 h |
| March 2027 | 9.2 h | 4.2 h |
| April 2027 | 9.8 h | 6.5 h |
| May 2027 | 10.3 h | 8.5 h |
| June 2027 | 10.5 h | 10.5 h |
| July 2027 | 10.3 h | 9 h |
| August 2027 | 10 h | 6.7 h |
| September 2027 | 9.3 h | 4.5 h |
The bright centre of the Milky Way is best here in June. From November to January it is up only in daylight, but the rest of the sky is still worth the trip.
What to know
- The European Southern Observatory calls the Atacama one of the driest places on Earth, with over 300 clear nights a year.
- Several of the world’s major observatories are in northern Chile, including ESO’s Paranal and La Silla sites and ALMA.
- It is in the southern hemisphere, so the centre of the Milky Way passes high overhead in the southern winter.
Plan more than one night. A local operator in San Pedro warns that coming for a single night is risky, and advises avoiding the full Moon.
Other dark-sky places: Teide National Park, La Palma, NamibRand Nature Reserve, Aoraki Mackenzie. Compare all five.
Sources
- Darkness, Moon and Milky Way: our calculation, Astronomy Engine 2.1.19 (MIT licence). How we worked it out.
- ESO, Reflections of Paranal.
- San Pedro de Atacama Celestial Explorations, the astronomical Chile.