Cairo Stargazing & Astronomy Report

Light pollution and stargazing locations near Cairo

City
Cairo
Country
Egypt
Latitude
30.0444
Longitude
31.2357

Key Sky Quality Metrics

SQM (mag/arcsec²)
17.37
Bortle class
Class 9 (Class 9)
Darkness Quotient
18%
Dataset
April 2026

Inner city sky

Cairo: The Practical Verdict

Cairo, as a vast and dense global metropolis, suffers from severe light pollution, leaving its skies categorised under the extreme light pollution tier. This restricts stargazing significantly, and deep-sky observations are almost entirely ruled out. The Milky Way is completely absent from the sky here, and the overall experience is limited by the intense urban glow.

From within Cairo, practical stargazing targets include the Moon, planets, and the brightest of stars, which remain discernible even under the city's heavy light dome. For astrophotographers, narrowband imaging can mitigate some effects of the sky brightness, but care is needed, and broadband deep-sky imaging will likely prove frustrating.

For those seeking better observing options, Al Minya, situated to the south-south-east about 250 km away, offers a marked improvement with darker skies and better conditions for deep-sky astronomers. It's worth considering for a meaningful upgrade in sky clarity and target accessibility.

At a Glance

Overall
Severe urban sky - This is a severely light-polluted urban sky. Only the Moon, planets, bright stars, and a few specialist targets remain practical.
Milky Way
Not visible - The Milky Way is not visible from this sky.
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
Al Minya sits about 256 km south south east and reaches Bortle 4, roughly 26x darker.
Good dark window
Cairo'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 Cairo?

No. Cairo is a Bortle Class 9 sky with SQM 17.37, 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 Cairo?

Cairo is Bortle Class 9 (SQM 17.37), a severe urban sky for astronomy.

Is Cairo good for stargazing?

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

Is Cairo good for astrophotography?

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

What can you observe from Cairo?

Primary targets from Cairo 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 Cairo?

The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Suez, about 88 km east south east of Cairo, reaching Bortle 6.

When is the sky darkest in Cairo?

The sky over Cairo is darkest around January, December.

Is light pollution in Cairo getting better or worse?

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

north - marginal

Noticeable glow on the north horizon. Stars below about 20 degrees in this direction are dimmed.

north-north-east - poor

Heavy light pollution to the north-north-east. The lower 30 degrees of sky in this direction are unusable for faint targets.

north-east - poor

The north-east sky is washed out near the horizon. Most constellation stars in the lower sky here are not visible.

east-north-east - poor

The east-north-east horizon shows a strong orange-white glow. Star counts drop sharply below about 25 degrees here.

east - poor

The lower east sky is heavily light-polluted. Only the brightest stars stand out near the horizon.

east-south-east - poor

The east-south-east sky is washed out near the horizon. Most constellation stars in the lower sky here are not visible.

south-east - marginal

Noticeable glow on the south-east horizon. Stars below about 20 degrees in this direction are dimmed.

south-south-east - marginal

Noticeable glow on the south-south-east horizon. Stars below about 20 degrees in this direction are dimmed.

south - marginal

Soft skyglow visible on the south horizon. Mid-brightness stars survive at low elevation; the faintest do not.

south-south-west - marginal

Soft skyglow visible on the south-south-west horizon. Mid-brightness stars survive at low elevation; the faintest do not.

south-west - marginal

Soft skyglow visible on the south-west horizon. Mid-brightness stars survive at low elevation; the faintest do not.

west-south-west - poor

The lower west-south-west sky is heavily light-polluted. Only the brightest stars stand out near the horizon.

west - marginal

The west lower sky is measurably brighter than the darker quarters. Limit faint work to above about 20 degrees here.

west-north-west - marginal

Noticeable glow on the west-north-west horizon. Stars below about 20 degrees in this direction are dimmed.

north-west - marginal

The north-west sky shows a clear glow near the ground. Above about 20 degrees the sky returns to workable.

north-north-west - marginal

A diffuse glow sits on the north-north-west horizon. Faint objects below 20 degrees in this direction are compromised.

zenith - poor

The zenith is bright enough to be obvious without dark adaptation. The Milky Way is not visible.

  • Suez
    Direction
    ESE
    Distance (km)
    87.5
    SQM
    19.69
    Bortle
    6
  • Gharbia
    Direction
    NNW
    Distance (km)
    104.5
    SQM
    19.84
    Bortle
    6
  • Beheira Governorate
    Direction
    NW
    Distance (km)
    92.3
    SQM
    19.52
    Bortle
    7
  • El Mansura, Ad Dakahliya
    Direction
    NNE
    Distance (km)
    99.4
    SQM
    19.68
    Bortle
    6
  • Al Minya
    Direction
    SSE
    Distance (km)
    256.1
    SQM
    20.92
    Bortle
    4