Polaris Andromeda Aries Auriga Cassiopeia Cepheus Cetus Cygnus Draco Eridanus Gemini Lepus Orion Pegasus Perseus Phoenix Piscis Austrinus Taurus Ursa Minor N E S W
The whole sky from Quimpi Starlight Camp at about 10 pm local time in mid-November (11 pm on daylight saving time). Overhead is the center, north is at the top and east at the left, as seen lying on your back. The pale band is the Milky Way; the dashed line is the celestial equator. Select a constellation name for its page.

Dark sky place · La Esperanza, Spain

Quimpi Starlight Camp

Quimpi Starlight Camp is a dark sky place in La Esperanza, Spain. Its sky rates Bortle Class 4, rural and suburban transition, with a zenith sky brightness of 20.79 mag/arcsec².

Quimpi Starlight Camp in brief

Bortle class
4
Sky brightness
20.79 mag/arcsec²
Naked-eye limit
magnitude 6.1-6.5
Latitude
28.4°N
Elevation
1,450 m (4,760 ft)
Managed by
Campamento Quimpi (private)
Nearest lodging
La Laguna, Spain

How dark the sky is at Quimpi Starlight Camp: Bortle Class 4, rural and suburban transition

The zenith sky here reads 20.79 magnitudes per square arcsecond. That is about 3.0 times the brightness of a pristine natural sky (22.0), the extra coming from artificial light scattered in the air.

Milky Way

The Milky Way is impressive well above the horizon but loses its fine detail

Zodiacal light

Zodiacal light is visible but faint

Faintest naked-eye stars

Magnitude 6.1 to 6.5 overhead

Naked eye

Light domes from towns show in several directions; M33 is hard even with averted vision

At the eyepiece

Clusters, planetary nebulae and bright galaxies are fine; faint nebulae need a filter

1 mag 8.0 21.99+ 2 mag 7.5 21.89+ 3 mag 7.0 21.69+ 4 mag 6.5 20.49+ 5 mag 6.0 19.50+ 6 mag 5.5 18.94+ 7 mag 5.0 18.38+ 8 mag 4.5 18.00+ 9 mag 4.0
The Bortle scale. Each panel shows the class number, the faintest star the naked eye reaches at the zenith, and the darkest-edge sky brightness reading of that class in mag/arcsec².

Sky brightness and class come from the World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness (Falchi et al. 2016, CC BY-NC 4.0), with natural skyglow added. On the night, haze, smoke, humidity and the Moon set the real limit.

What's up from Quimpi Starlight Camp by season

At latitude 28.4°N, the north celestial pole stands 28° above the horizon, close to Polaris. Every star north of declination -62° rises at some time of year. The Milky Way core in Sagittarius climbs to 33° above the southern horizon. These are the constellations well placed, 35° or more above the horizon, at about 10 pm in the middle of each season, brightest first.

January evenings (winter): Canis Major, Auriga, and Orion

  • Canis MajorIn the south, brightest star Sirius
  • AurigaOverhead, brightest star Capella
  • OrionHigh in the south, brightest star Rigel
  • Canis MinorHigh in the southeast, brightest star Procyon
  • EridanusIn the southwest, brightest star Achernar
  • TaurusHigh in the southwest, brightest star Aldebaran
  • GeminiOverhead, brightest star Pollux
  • PerseusHigh in the northwest, brightest star Mirfak

Also well placed: Aries, Lepus, Triangulum, Lynx, Cancer, Monoceros, Camelopardalis.

April evenings (spring): Bootes, Virgo, and Leo

  • BootesIn the east, brightest star Arcturus
  • VirgoHigh in the southeast, brightest star Spica
  • LeoHigh in the southwest, brightest star Regulus
  • Ursa MajorHigh in the northwest, brightest star Alioth
  • Ursa MinorIn the north, brightest star Polaris
  • CorvusIn the south, brightest star Gienah
  • Canes VenaticiHigh in the northeast, brightest star Cor Caroli
  • LynxIn the northwest, brightest star Alpha Lyncis

Also well placed: Cancer, Crater, Leo Minor, Coma Berenices, Sextans.

July evenings (summer): Bootes, Lyra, and Aquila

  • BootesHigh in the west, brightest star Arcturus
  • LyraOverhead, brightest star Vega
  • AquilaHigh in the southeast, brightest star Altair
  • CygnusHigh in the northeast, brightest star Deneb
  • Ursa MinorIn the north, brightest star Polaris
  • OphiuchusHigh in the south, brightest star Rasalhague
  • Corona BorealisHigh in the west, brightest star Alphecca
  • DracoHigh in the north, brightest star Eltanin

Also well placed: Serpens, Hercules, Sagitta, Delphinus, Scutum, Vulpecula.

October evenings (fall): Cygnus, Perseus, and Aries

  • CygnusHigh in the northwest, brightest star Deneb
  • PerseusIn the northeast, brightest star Mirfak
  • AriesIn the east, brightest star Hamal
  • CetusIn the southeast, brightest star Diphda
  • AndromedaOverhead, brightest star Alpheratz
  • CassiopeiaHigh in the north, brightest star Schedar
  • PegasusOverhead, brightest star Enif
  • CepheusIn the north, brightest star Alderamin

Also well placed: Aquarius, Triangulum, Sagitta, Pisces, Delphinus, Lacerta, Equuleus, Vulpecula.

Showpieces from Quimpi Starlight Camp through the year

SightConstellationJanuaryAprilJulyOctober
Andromeda Galaxy (M31)AndromedaIn the northwest--Overhead
Orion Nebula (M42)OrionHigh in the south---
Pleiades (M45)TaurusHigh in the west--In the east
Double ClusterPerseusIn the northwest--In the northeast
Hercules Cluster (M13)Hercules-In the northeastOverhead-
Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)Canes Venatici-High in the northeastIn the northwest-
Milky Way coreSagittarius--In the south-
Ring Nebula (M57)Lyra--OverheadIn the northwest
Lagoon Nebula (M8)Sagittarius--In the south-

At about 10 pm on the 15th of each month; a dash means the sight is below 25° then.

Never set from Quimpi Starlight Camp

Only skim the southern horizon from Quimpi Starlight Camp

Never rise from Quimpi Starlight Camp

Where to set up at Quimpi Starlight Camp

The coordinates on this page point to Campamento Quimpi, TF-24 km 16.3, Las Lagunetas, at 1,450 m (4,760 ft): 28.414°N, 16.406°W.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Open the larger map · Directions. Arrive before dark, park facing away from other observers, and use red light only.

Quimpi Starlight Camp among the dark sky places of Spain

Comapedrosa Valleys Natural Park, Bortle 4 Pic du Midi International Dark Sky Reserve, Bortle 3 Aldeias do Xisto, Bortle 4 Alentejo, Bortle 4 Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, Bortle 4 Serra da Estrela, Bortle 4 Vale do Tua, Bortle 4 El Bosque, Bortle 4 Mount Calamorro, Bortle 6 Sierra Nevada, Bortle 4 Sierra Sur de Jaen Starlight Reserve, Bortle 4 Candeleda, Bortle 4 Galizuela, Bortle 3 La Palma, Bortle 2 Cabaneros National Park, Bortle 2 e-EyE Entre Encinas y Estrellas, Bortle 4 Monfrague National Park, Bortle 3 Pena Trevinca, Bortle 3 Campillo de Duenas, Bortle 2 Loarre, Bortle 3 Viveiro, Bortle 4 Teide National Park, Bortle 4 Albarracin Cultural Park, Bortle 4 La Senda de los Pastores, Bortle 4 Aldeire Starlight Wilderness, Bortle 4 Alto Turia Starlight, Bortle 3 Bassegoda Park Starlight Camp, Bortle 4 Camino Barranca de Badajoz, Bortle 5 Camino Natural Via Verde del Ferrocarril Vasco Navarro, Bortle 4 Centro Astronomico Tiedra Stellar Park, Bortle 4 Centro Interpretacion Cielo Gorafe Stellar Park, Bortle 3 Comarca Cuencas Mineras Starlight Reserve, Bortle 4 Comarca de Gudar-Javalambre Starlight Reserve, Bortle 3 Cumbres de Tenerife Starlight Reserve, Bortle 4 El Jabali Stellar Park, Bortle 2 Fuerteventura Starlight Reserve, Bortle 3 Gran Canaria, Bortle 4 Granadilla de Abona, Bortle 4 Gredos Norte Starlight Reserve, Bortle 3 Gredos Starlight Reserve, Bortle 4 Huerto Alegre Starlight Farm, Bortle 4 Jardin Botanico de Santa Catalina Stellar Park, Bortle 5 La Matanza de Acentejo, Bortle 5 La Rioja Starlight Reserve, Bortle 4 Los Pedroches Starlight Reserve, Bortle 4 Menorca Starlight Reserve, Bortle 4 Montsec Starlight Reserve, Bortle 3 Muras Starlight, Bortle 4 Muriel Viejo Starlight, Bortle 3 Parc Astronomic Montsec, Bortle 3 San Pedro Cultural Becerril de Campos, Bortle 4 Santiago-Pontones Starlight Wilderness, Bortle 3 Serrania de Cuenca Natural Park, Bortle 3 Sierra de Alcaraz y Campo de Montiel, Bortle 3 Sierra del Segura, Bortle 3 Sierra Morena Andaluza Starlight Reserve, Bortle 4 Valle de Alcudia y Sierra Madrona, Bortle 4 Valle del Roncal, Bortle 3 Quimpi Starlight Camp La Esperanza, Spain Quimpi Starlight Camp La Esperanza, Spain
Bortle 1 Bortle 2 Bortle 3 Bortle 4 Bortle 5 or brighter Class not yet rated

Each dot is a dark sky place, colored by Bortle class; select one for its page. See Dark sky places outside the United States for the full list, darkest first.

Camping and lodging at Quimpi Starlight Camp

The nearest town with motels or inns is La Laguna, Spain. Check the official site for campgrounds and overnight rules; many parks close their gates at night, so ask about after-dark access.

Dark sky places nearest Quimpi Starlight Camp

PlaceWhereBortleDistance
La Matanza de AcentejoLa Matanza de Acentejo, Spain56 km (4 mi)
Camino Barranca de BadajozGuimar, Spain511 km (7 mi)
Cumbres de Tenerife Starlight ReserveLa Esperanza, Spain416 km (10 mi)
Teide National ParkLa Orotava, Spain430 km (19 mi)
Granadilla de AbonaGranadilla de Abona, Spain437 km (23 mi)
Gran CanariaTejeda, Spain494 km (59 mi)
La PalmaGarafia, Spain2149 km (93 mi)
Fuerteventura Starlight ReservePajara, Spain3220 km (137 mi)

Observatories and astronomy clubs near Quimpi Starlight Camp

Observatories within 100 km

  • SLOOH TelescopeIzana, Canary Islands, Spain, 16 km (10 mi), research observatory
  • TAR TelescopesIzana, Canary Islands, Spain, 16 km (10 mi), research observatory
  • MONS TelescopeIzana, Canary Islands, Spain, 16 km (10 mi), research observatory
  • MASTER-IACIzana, Canary Islands, Spain, 16 km (10 mi), research observatory
  • Open University TelescopesIzana, Canary Islands, Spain, 16 km (10 mi), university observatory
  • SONG TelescopeIzana, Canary Islands, Spain, 16 km (10 mi), research observatory

See observatories and astronomy clubs around the world. Local clubs often hold their star parties at dark sky places like this one.

Quimpi Starlight Camp record

Every value in the dark sky places dataset for Quimpi Starlight Camp
Park270
NameQuimpi Starlight Camp
AreaEurope
RegionTenerife
CountrySpain
LocationLa Esperanza
Lat28.41430
Lon-16.40562
LatLonSpotCampamento Quimpi, TF-24 km 16.3, Las Lagunetas
Elevation_m1450
LandManagerCampamento Quimpi (private)
StatusOpen
LodgingLa Laguna, Spain
Sourceshttps://www.komoot.com/highlight/3081817; https://www.hoteles.net/tenerife/la-esperanza-tenerife/campamento-quimpi.html
Bortle4
SQM20.79

From the site's dark sky places dataset (darkparksglobal_q426). The sky by season is computed from the coordinates.