Burlington Stargazing & Astronomy Report

Key Sky Quality Metrics

SQM (mag/arcsec²)

18.45

Bortle class

Class 8 (Class 8)

Darkness Quotient

27%

Dataset

July 2026

City sky

Burlington: The Practical Verdict

Burlington, in Ontario, is a suburban small city, where stargazing is unfortunately dominated by high light pollution, typical of urban environments. With a Bortle class of 8, the poor city sky condition severely restricts astronomical observations, making only the brighter celestial bodies viable targets.

The Milky Way is entirely absent from view here, swallowed by the urban glow. Observers are limited to focusing on the Moon, planets, bright stars, and double stars, with narrowband imaging of bright targets possible but challenging. Broader deep-sky objects like galaxies and faint nebulae should be avoided, as they are outshone by the light pollution.

Although Burlington itself doesn't offer great opportunities for deep-sky observation, you could see some improvement by driving about 45 km east-south-east to the Golden Horseshoe. This site offers a slight reduction in overall sky brightness, though it remains far from a pristine dark-sky location.

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

Limited nearby upgrade

Golden Horseshoe, Ontario is the strongest nearby option but remains Bortle 6; the improvement is real but modest.

Good dark window

Burlington'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 Burlington?

No. Burlington 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 Burlington?

Burlington is Bortle Class 8 (SQM 18.45), a poor city sky for astronomy.

Is Burlington good for stargazing?

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

Is Burlington good for astrophotography?

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

What can you observe from Burlington?

Primary targets from Burlington 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 Burlington?

The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Aberfoyle, Ontario, about 31 km west north west of Burlington, reaching Bortle 6.

When is the sky darkest in Burlington?

The sky over Burlington is darkest around January, December.

Is light pollution in Burlington getting better or worse?

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

• Golden Horseshoe, Ontario

  Direction

  ESE

  Distance (km)

  45.5

  SQM

  20.17

  Bortle

  6

• Aberfoyle, Ontario

  Direction

  WNW

  Distance (km)

  31.1

  SQM

  19.71

  Bortle

  6

• Adjala–Tosorontio, Ontario

  Direction

  SSW

  Distance (km)

  82

  SQM

  19.68

  Bortle

  6