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.
These mountain sites are exceptional to scan the sky this summer
Some places in France located far from cities suffer little from light pollution. This is the case, for example, of 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 parkor the Cevennes National Park are also known to be places preserved from light pollution. Passing through the Cévennes, go to the Bleymard resort located in the Mont-Lozere. A calm and immersed spot in the middle of nature awaits you for an unforgettable show. To take a little height, make a detour by the Prat-Peyrot pass at over 1,400 meters above sea level. In addition to a superb panorama, you will discover a pure 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 even theobservatory of Provencal baronies. You can enjoy astronomical observation evenings during which you will have the chance to admire shooting stars during the summer period.
However, it is possible to enjoy the show while staying in an urban area.
If you live in Paris, you can get closer to a structure that organizes sky observation evenings. There are a number of them likeIle-de-France uranoscope or the Jean-Marc Salomon observatory in Seine-et-Marne (77). For the Lyonnais, the Vaulx-en-Velin planetarium welcomes the public of the Lyon region and for Toulouse residents, the balcony of stars organizes events in the south of the Toulouse conurbation. 25 kilometers from Bordeaux, Cestas Observatory opens its doors to the public, just like the Couyère observatory 34 kilometers from Rennes. Other structures also offer animations of the same type, such as the Strasbourg planetarium as well as the Astronomical club of the Lille region which regularly organizes nocturnal observations. Meet on the website of the French Association of Astronomy to find a location near you. The opportunity to spend a magical night under the stars and make wishes!