Stargazing in Hilchenbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Dark-sky rating for Hilchenbach

Hilchenbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany is a small town (population about 16,467). A place this size typically has a rural sky: the Milky Way is usually visible on clear, moonless nights away from local lighting. That is an estimate of Bortle class 1–4 from population, not a measurement: the real value depends on the exact spot you observe from.

For a measured reading at any point, open the live Dark Sky map.

Nearest dark-sky places and observatories

• Effelsberg Radio Telescope · observatory · about 101 km away
• Eifel National Park Dark Sky Park · certified dark-sky place · about 128 km away
• Rhön Dark Sky Reserve · certified dark-sky place · about 144 km away

Milky Way season in Hilchenbach

The Milky Way's bright core never climbs 20° above the horizon during astronomical darkness from Hilchenbach; the fainter band is still visible from a dark site.

• The north celestial pole stands 51° above the horizon, so stars within 51° of it never set from here.
• About 88.9% of the whole sky rises above the horizon at some point in the year from this latitude.
• The Milky Way's core in Sagittarius culminates about 10° up, staying low, so a clear southern horizon matters.
• At 357 m elevation, roughly 4% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.

Tonight and aurora

As of October 17, 2026 (UTC) the Moon is a Waxing Crescent at 36% illumination. Aurora at 51.0° latitude generally needs about Kp 5.3.

Nearby places

• Hagen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany