Belém Stargazing & Astronomy Report

Light pollution and stargazing locations near Belém

City
Belém
Country
Brazil
Latitude
-1.4558
Longitude
-48.5044

Key Sky Quality Metrics

SQM (mag/arcsec²)
18.34
Bortle class
Class 8 (Class 8)
Darkness Quotient
26%
Dataset
April 2026

City sky

Belém: The Practical Verdict

Belém, located in the northern region of Brazil, is a densely populated major city with significant urban light pollution. This results in a compromised night sky quality, ranked as poor, with the Milky Way entirely imperceptible under the bright urban conditions.

Stargazing in Belém allows for viewing the Moon, planets, and the brightest stars in the sky. However, deep-sky objects such as nebulae, galaxies, and meteor showers are extremely challenging due to the overwhelming city light interference. Narrowband imaging might provide limited success on select bright targets.

For those seeking a more rewarding experience with deeper-sky observables, Soure, Pará, located about 110 km towards the north-north-west, offers a much darker environment in Bortle Class 2 skies. Travelling to this nearby site is highly recommended for serious observing pursuits.

At a Glance

Overall
Poor city sky - This is a poor city sky. The Milky Way is not visible and most deep-sky observing is unrealistic from the location itself.
Milky Way
Not visible - The Milky Way is erased by the bright urban sky background.
Best targets from here
Moon, planets, bright stars, double stars, solar system events, narrowband imaging only with care
Do not prioritise
visual deep-sky observing, broadband galaxies, reflection nebulae, widefield Milky Way
Best nearby upgrade
Soure, Pará sits about 108 km north north west and reaches Bortle 2, roughly 23x darker.
Good dark window
Belém 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 Belém?

No. Belém is a Bortle Class 8 sky with SQM 18.34, so the Milky Way is not visible from the city. For Milky Way photography, look for a Bortle 4 or darker site.

What Bortle class is Belém?

Belém is Bortle Class 8 (SQM 18.34), a poor city sky for astronomy.

Is Belém good for stargazing?

Not for serious deep-sky observing. Belém is a poor city sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.

Is Belém good for astrophotography?

Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Belém and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Belém without careful processing.

What can you observe from Belém?

Primary targets from Belém include Moon, planets, bright stars, double stars, solar system events. Targets such as visual deep-sky observing, broadband galaxies, reflection nebulae are not realistic from this sky.

Where are darker skies near Belém?

The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Abaetetuba, Pará, about 58 km west south west of Belém, reaching Bortle 4.

When is the sky darkest in Belém?

The sky over Belém is darkest around April, September.

Is light pollution in Belém getting better or worse?

Long-term light pollution over Belém has been broadly stable across the available measurements.

north - fair

Subtle skyglow on the north horizon. Faint stars below about 10 degrees here are slightly suppressed.

north-north-east - marginal

A soft but obvious glow marks the north-north-east horizon. The lowest 15-20 degrees of sky in this direction are degraded.

north-east - marginal

Moderate brightening on the north-east horizon. Star counts at low elevation here are reduced.

east-north-east - marginal

The east-north-east horizon is brighter than natural. Faint stars are suppressed up to roughly 15-20 degrees elevation.

east - fair

The east horizon shows a slight brightening. Workable for most targets above about 10 degrees elevation.

east-south-east - good

The east-south-east sky shows no obvious glow at ground level. Faint stars are clear at low elevation.

south-east - good

No visible glow on the south-east horizon. Stars are clear down to low elevation in this direction.

south-south-east - good

Clean horizon to the south-south-east. Star counts remain high near the ground.

south - good

The south sky shows no obvious glow at ground level. Faint stars are clear at low elevation.

south-south-west - good

The south-south-west horizon is free of artificial brightening. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground.

south-west - good

Clean horizon to the south-west. Star counts remain high near the ground.

west-south-west - fair

A small artificial brightening near the west-south-west horizon. Star counts in this direction remain high above the lowest elevations.

west - good

Clean horizon to the west. Star counts remain high near the ground.

west-north-west - good

Clean horizon to the west-north-west. Star counts remain high near the ground.

north-west - good

The north-west sky shows no obvious glow at ground level. Faint stars are clear at low elevation.

north-north-west - good

No visible glow on the north-north-west horizon. Stars are clear down to low elevation in this direction.

zenith - marginal

Light pollution affects most of the overhead sky. Star counts are a fraction of a dark site.

  • Abaetetuba, Pará
    Direction
    WSW
    Distance (km)
    57.8
    SQM
    20.99
    Bortle
    4
  • Penha Longa, Pará
    Direction
    NNE
    Distance (km)
    66.7
    SQM
    20.85
    Bortle
    4
  • Soure, Pará
    Direction
    NNW
    Distance (km)
    107.5
    SQM
    21.74
    Bortle
    2
  • Soure, Pará
    Direction
    SE
    Distance (km)
    103.5
    SQM
    21.40
    Bortle
    3
  • MagalhĂŁes Barata, Pará
    Direction
    NE
    Distance (km)
    115.7
    SQM
    21.27
    Bortle
    4
  • Chaves, Pará
    Direction
    NW
    Distance (km)
    157.1
    SQM
    21.75
    Bortle
    2