Billings Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Billings
- City
- Billings
- Country
- United States
- Latitude
- 45.7833
- Longitude
- -108.5007
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 18.45
- Bortle class
- Class 8 (Class 8)
- Darkness Quotient
- 27%
- Dataset
- August 2026
City sky
Billings: The Practical Verdict
Billings, located in the state of Montana, is a small city characterised by high light pollution. The sky here is decidedly poor for observing, with the Milky Way entirely washed out by urban glow.
The practical uses for this sky are limited to viewing the Moon, planets, and bright stars, with some narrowband imaging achievable if you're cautious. Targets like visual deep-sky objects and broad-field galaxies should be avoided, as their visibility is severely compromised by the bright sky.
For darker skies, Sweet Grass County, about 120 km to the west, offers significantly improved conditions with a Bortle 3 rating. This makes it a worthwhile location for those seeking deeper sky observations.
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
- Sweet Grass County, Montana sits about 120 km west and reaches Bortle 3, roughly 18x darker.
- Moderate dark window
- Billings's longest dark windows fall in December and January, with the shortest nights around June and July. Plan deep-sky sessions around the autumn and winter months for the best combination of long nights and true astronomical darkness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you see the Milky Way from Billings?
No. Billings is a Bortle Class 8 sky with SQM 18.45, 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 Billings?
Billings is Bortle Class 8 (SQM 18.45), a poor city sky for astronomy.
Is Billings good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Billings is a poor city sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Billings good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Billings and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Billings without careful processing.
What can you observe from Billings?
Primary targets from Billings 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 Billings?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Cormier Road, Montana, about 20 km south of Billings, reaching Bortle 4.
When is the sky darkest in Billings?
The sky over Billings is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in Billings getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Billings has been broadly stable across the available measurements.
north - good
The north sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
north-north-east - good
Dark sky in the north-north-east direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
north-east - good
No noticeable light pollution to the north-east. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
east-north-east - good
Dark horizon to the east-north-east. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.
east - good
Dark sky in the east direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
east-south-east - good
Dark sky in the east-south-east direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
south-east - good
The south-east sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
south-south-east - good
The south-south-east sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
south - good
Dark sky in the south direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
south-south-west - good
Dark sky in the south-south-west direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
south-west - good
Dark sky in the south-west direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
west-south-west - good
No noticeable light pollution to the west-south-west. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
west - good
No noticeable light pollution to the west. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
west-north-west - good
The west-north-west horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
north-west - good
Dark horizon to the north-west. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.
north-north-west - good
No noticeable light pollution to the north-north-west. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
zenith - marginal
The zenith sky is noticeably bright. Only the brighter members of each constellation are visible.
-
Cormier Road, Montana
- Direction
- S
- Distance (km)
- 20
- SQM
- 20.99
- Bortle
- 4
-
Sweet Grass County, Montana
- Direction
- W
- Distance (km)
- 120
- SQM
- 21.57
- Bortle
- 3
-
Chouteau County, Montana
- Direction
- NW
- Distance (km)
- 252.5
- SQM
- 21.73
- Bortle
- 2