Baing Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Baing
- City
- Baing
- Country
- Indonesia
- Latitude
- -10.2264
- Longitude
- 120.5553
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 21.91
- Bortle class
- Class 2 (Class 2)
- Darkness Quotient
- 97%
- Dataset
- August 2026
Typical truly dark site
Baing: The Practical Verdict
Baing, situated in the remote region of East Nusa Tenggara, offers an extraordinary dark-sky setting. As a pristine dark sky location, it provides very strong observational quality, perfect for all types of astronomical activities. The minor light from the north-north-west does not detract from this destination's potent celestial views.
The Milky Way is clearly visible from Baing, making it possible to enjoy its structured beauty alongside galaxies, nebulae, and various star clusters. This site is also suitable for capturing broadband astrophotography and watching meteor showers, with practically no light pollution to hinder visibility.
Considering the dark conditions already available here, Baing doesn't necessitate travel to find better skies nearby. It is among the stronger sites for stargazing within the region.
At a Glance
- Overall
- Very strong dark sky - This is a very strong dark-sky location where the Milky Way, faint stars, nebulae, and galaxies are realistically accessible.
- Milky Way
- Clearly visible - The Milky Way should be prominent on moonless nights, with visible structure and strong contrast.
- Best targets from here
- Milky Way, galaxies, nebulae, globular clusters, open clusters, meteor showers
- Do not prioritise
- none due to light pollution alone
- Already a strong sky
- Baing is already a strong astronomy location. There is no obvious reason to travel for a darker sky.
- Long dark window
- Baing retains astronomical darkness throughout the year, so seasonality is less extreme than at higher latitudes. The main limitation is light pollution, not the length of the dark window.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you see the Milky Way from Baing?
Yes. Baing reaches Bortle 2, dark enough that the Milky Way is clearly visible on clear, moonless nights.
What Bortle class is Baing?
Baing is Bortle Class 2 (SQM 21.91), a very strong dark sky for astronomy.
Is Baing good for stargazing?
Yes. Baing is a very strong dark sky and supports serious stargazing including deep-sky observing.
Is Baing good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is realistic from Baing. Narrowband imaging of bright emission nebulae remains viable from Baing with appropriate Ha or OIII filters.
What can you observe from Baing?
Primary targets from Baing include Milky Way, galaxies, nebulae, globular clusters, open clusters. Targets such as none due to light pollution alone are not realistic from this sky.
Where are darker skies near Baing?
No meaningfully darker mapped site was found within the search radius around Baing.
When is the sky darkest in Baing?
The sky over Baing is darkest around May, June.
Is light pollution in Baing getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Baing has been broadly stable across the available measurements.
north - excellent
No visible light pollution in the north direction. The Milky Way structure is visible into this quarter on transparent nights.
north-north-east - excellent
No skyglow to the north-north-east. Stars are visible to the naked-eye limit at all elevations in this direction.
north-east - excellent
No skyglow to the north-east. Stars are visible to the naked-eye limit at all elevations in this direction.
east-north-east - excellent
No visible light pollution in the east-north-east direction. The Milky Way structure is visible into this quarter on transparent nights.
east - excellent
The east sky is dark to the horizon with no visible artificial brightening. Faint extended objects are accessible at low elevation.
east-south-east - excellent
No skyglow to the east-south-east. Stars are visible to the naked-eye limit at all elevations in this direction.
south-east - excellent
The south-east sky is dark to the horizon with no visible artificial brightening. Faint extended objects are accessible at low elevation.
south-south-east - excellent
The south-south-east sky is dark to the horizon. Faint stars and the Milky Way reach the ground in this direction on clear nights.
south - excellent
Fully dark sky to the south. This is among the cleaner directions from this site.
south-south-west - excellent
No skyglow to the south-south-west. Stars are visible to the naked-eye limit at all elevations in this direction.
south-west - excellent
No visible light pollution in the south-west direction. The Milky Way structure is visible into this quarter on transparent nights.
west-south-west - excellent
Fully dark sky to the west-south-west. This is among the cleaner directions from this site.
west - excellent
No visible light pollution in the west direction. The Milky Way structure is visible into this quarter on transparent nights.
west-north-west - excellent
No skyglow to the west-north-west. Stars are visible to the naked-eye limit at all elevations in this direction.
north-west - excellent
The north-west sky is dark to the horizon with no visible artificial brightening. Faint extended objects are accessible at low elevation.
north-north-west - excellent
The north-north-west sky is dark to the horizon with no visible artificial brightening. Faint extended objects are accessible at low elevation.
zenith - excellent
Limiting magnitude around 6.5 at the zenith. Faint deep-sky objects are accessible without optical aid.
-
Desa Laijanji, East Nusa Tenggara
- Direction
- SW
- Distance (km)
- 11.2
- SQM
- 21.92
- Bortle
- 2
-
Boneogeh, South Sulawesi
- Direction
- N
- Distance (km)
- 330
- SQM
- 21.96
- Bortle
- 1