The night sky over Tenerife
Tenerife is a privileged island, not only because of its climate. The peaks of the island, away from the light pollution of urban areas, are the best place to stargaze in Tenerife.
In fact, since 2014, the sky of the Teide National Park is recognised as a “Starlight Destination” in the “Tourist Destination” category; a title awarded by the Starlight Foundation certifying that stargazing under the night sky of Tenerife in the Teide National Park meets the requirements and procedures for the protection of the sky and its natural and associated cultural values.
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Interesting facts about stars
Did you know that there are approximately 400 billion stars in our galaxy? It is an impressive figure. Almost as astonishing as the number of stars that make up the Milky Way: about 100 billion.
Do you know how many constellations there are and how many of these constellations can be seen from Mount Teide?
Take me stargazing on Mount Teide
According to the International Astronomical Union, every night the starry sky presents 88 constellations which transport us immediately back to the ancient times when different civilizations, who relied on the constellations to guide their travels and used them to develop their religious and agricultural calendars, had the powerful imagination to name the constellations after what their shape reminded them of.
From Tenerife, 83 of the 88 officially recognised constellations can be seen. To do this, you only need to go up Mount Teide to view all the constellations of the northern hemisphere and most constellations of the southern hemisphere. You’ll enjoy discovering the night sky of Tenerife like never before during one of our experiences!
And of all our activities to discover the night skies of Tenerife, we’d recommend the Mount Teide Night Tour. You’ll enjoy comfortable transport to see an unforgettable sunset at one of the best viewpoints in the National Park (don’t forget your camera!), then, as the stars come out, you’ll take part in an astronomic observation at Teide Cable Car base station at an altitude of 2,365 m, with long-range professional telescopes and explanations from our Starlight guides. A fascinating experience that has it all!
Phenomena that can be spotted in the night sky over Tenerife
Throughout the year, the night skies of Tenerife offer various celestial shows that you cannot miss when visiting the island, as the Tenerife sky at night becomes the best amphitheatre to sit back and enjoy stargazing.
Some of the most spectacular stellar phenomena take the form of meteor showers. Perhaps the best known for being the year’s last, and of high intensity, is the Geminid meteor shower, though the sky treats us to meteor showers almost every month: the Quadrantids in January and the Perseids in August are just some of the various meteor showers that occur throughout the year.
If you visit Tenerife in summer, you will find that the starry summer sky has two main protagonists: the Milky Way and the Summer Triangle.
The Milky Way is a spectacular misty band that crosses the sky and is especially visible during the summer months, whilst the Summer Triangle is a unique formation of three bright stars which, in the summer, reign over the top part of the sky.
The best stargazing trail in Tenerife
Looking at the stars from the Teide National Park is an extraordinary experience. It is an indisputable fact that from there you can see the rings of Saturn, countless galaxies and nebulae, and even the craters of the Moon.
There’s a good reason why Mount Teide and the Peaks of Tenerife have been awarded the Starlight Certificate, in recognition that they are among the best places in the world for stargazing.
The location, the low levels of light pollution, and the volcanic landscape all contribute to making viewing the stars from the Teide National Park a truly magical experience.
Add to that the area’s pleasant climate, and a tour of Tenerife’s night sky becomes something to be enjoyed at any time of the year. Below, we list the places where you can get the most enjoyment from exploring the night skies of Tenerife.
Where to go taking in the night skies in Tenerife
When looking for somewhere that will give you the perfect view of Tenerife's night sky, the first thing to consider is as important as it is obvious: you need a spot that is well removed from any source of strong light.
Be aware that torches will dazzle you, and that it will take at least fifteen minutes for your eyes to become accustomed to the dark. It’s best if you put red tape over the bulb.
Another factor to take into account if you want to enjoy the night sky over Tenerife is that you need to find an open space, to give you the widest possible field of vision.
Next, we need to talk about equipment: as a minimum you will need binoculars, but ideally you’ll have professional, long-range telescopes such as you’ll find at the cable car base station, and which we use during our stargazing sessions—making this the best spot in Tenerife to see the stars.
But it’s not the only place.
Mount Teide: the best place for beholding the Tenerife sky at night
We can say for certain that Mount Teide is the best place for watching the night sky in Tenerife because the conditions, from any of its viewing points, are perfect: there is no light pollution, they offer a panoramic view, and they are in the midst of nature.
We recommend the cable car base station for exploring the night skies of Tenerife.
Our observation of the night sky over Tenerife takes place at this exceptional vantage point, with accredited guides in attendance to help you to understand the celestial bodies you see before you. You will also have access to high quality professional telescopes so you get the most from this stargazing experience in Tenerife.
If there’s one tour of the night skies of Tenerife that never disappoints, it is the Sunset & Stars tour in Teide National Park, which combines seeing the spectacular sunset from the path up to the Pico Viejo Viewpoint, with stargazing after dark, accompanied by a Starlight guide of Tenerife’s night sky, from the cable car base station.
If you are fascinated by astronomy, the Astronomic Tour combines an afternoon visit to the Teide Observatory with a night-time stargazing experience.
The visit to the observatory is conducted by expert guides, as is the stargazing session from an altitude of 2,356 metres at the Teide Cable Car base station. All with the aid of long-range telescopes, naturally.
In case you would prefer to explore the night sky of Tenerife from some other location, we can suggest an alternative.
Another interesting spot for observing the night sky in Tenerife
If you’re looking for a tour of Tenerife’s night sky from somewhere other than the peak of Mount Teide, the Mirador de Masca is a natural balcony looking out onto the universe. The viewing point is at an altitude of 1,000 metres, and is on the road between Masca and the town of Santiago del Teide.
This is a good point from which to look at the night sky over Tenerife, but be aware that you will need to take your own equipment. Also, as it stands on the side of a gorge, the road is rather steep and there is little parking space.
Provided you take these factors into account, this is somewhere that could be included in your own route of stargazing spots in Tenerife.
