A special time of the year to admire shooting stars, the summer period is an opportunity to witness a fascinating celestial spectacle. We reveal the best spots to make the most of it.
If the majority of the French territory is affected by light pollution, making it impossible to observe shooting stars in good conditions, there are still a handful of places in France preserved from this urbanization. Summits, isolated plateaus or even astronomical observatories, here is a list of the best spots in France to admire shooting stars.
Some places in France located far from cities suffer little from light pollution. This is the case for example of the Black Triangle of Quercy in the Lot. Various observation sites are set up there, equipped with interpretation tables. Some protected areas such as the Morvan Regional Park, or the Cévennes National Park are also known to be places protected from light pollution. Passing through the Cévennes, go to the Bleymard station located in Mont-Lozère. A calm and immersed spot in the middle of nature awaits you for an unforgettable show. To take a little height, take a detour via the Prat-Peyrot pass at more than 1,400 meters above sea level. In addition to a superb panorama, you will discover a clear sky, illuminated by the stars and shooting stars, if you are a little lucky.
Some observatories also offer visitors the opportunity to spend the night in their facilities in order to take advantage of the viewpoint and the facilities present. This is the case of the famous Pic du Midi de Bigorre for which reservations are made two years in advance. But rest assured, other observatories are located in the area, such as that of Saint-Véran in the Hautes-Alpes or the Baronnies Provençales observatory. You can enjoy astronomical observation evenings during which you will have the chance to admire shooting stars during the summer period.
If you live in Paris, you can get closer to a structure that organizes sky observation evenings. There are a number of them, such as the Uranoscope in Île-de-France or the Jean-Marc Salomon observatory in Seine-et-Marne (77). For the people of Lyon, the Vaulx-en-Velin planetarium welcomes the public from the Lyon region and for the people of Toulouse, the Balcon des étoiles organizes activities in the south of the Toulouse conurbation. 25 kilometers from Bordeaux, the Cestas observatory opens its doors to the public, as does the Couyère observatory 34 kilometers from Rennes. Other structures also offer activities of the same type, such as the Strasbourg planetarium as well as the Astronomical Club of the Lille region, which regularly organizes nocturnal observations. Visit the Association Française d’Astronomie website to find a place near you. The opportunity to spend a magical night under the stars and make wishes!
