Charlottetown Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Charlottetown
- City
- Charlottetown
- Country
- Canada
- Latitude
- 46.2382
- Longitude
- -63.1311
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 18.88
- Bortle class
- Class 8 (Class 8)
- Darkness Quotient
- 32%
- Dataset
- July 2026
City sky
Charlottetown: The Practical Verdict
Charlottetown is a small city located in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Unfortunately, the area's overall astronomy quality is quite poor due to high light pollution levels. The Milky Way is entirely erased by the urban sky, marking this as a challenging place for deep-sky observations.
From Charlottetown, the brightest celestial objects remain achievable. Observing the Moon, planets, and double stars is quite feasible, and selective narrowband imaging can be attempted with caution. However, any attempts at visual deep-sky observing, broad-band galaxies, or meteor-shower viewing should be avoided due to the sky's brightness.
For those seeking improved observational conditions, Martinvale, Prince Edward Island provides a significant upgrade. Located about 40 kilometres east north-east of Charlottetown, it offers a clearer night sky suitable for serious deep-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
- Martinvale, Prince Edward Island sits about 38 km east north east and reaches Bortle 3, roughly 12x darker.
- Moderate dark window
- Charlottetown'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 Charlottetown?
No. Charlottetown is a Bortle Class 8 sky with SQM 18.88, 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 Charlottetown?
Charlottetown is Bortle Class 8 (SQM 18.88), a poor city sky for astronomy.
Is Charlottetown good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Charlottetown is a poor city sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Charlottetown good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Charlottetown and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Charlottetown without careful processing.
What can you observe from Charlottetown?
Primary targets from Charlottetown 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 Charlottetown?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is St Catherines, Prince Edward Island, about 14 km west south west of Charlottetown, reaching Bortle 4.
When is the sky darkest in Charlottetown?
The sky over Charlottetown is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in Charlottetown getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Charlottetown has been broadly stable across the available measurements.
north - excellent
Dark sky to the north horizon. The Milky Way can be traced to the ground in this direction.
north-north-east - excellent
The north-north-east horizon is fully dark. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground and the Milky Way reaches the horizon on clear nights.
north-east - excellent
The north-east horizon is fully dark. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground and the Milky Way reaches the horizon on clear nights.
east-north-east - excellent
The east-north-east horizon is fully dark. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground and the Milky Way reaches the horizon on clear nights.
east - excellent
Dark sky to the east horizon. The Milky Way can be traced to the ground in this direction.
east-south-east - excellent
Dark sky to the east-south-east horizon. The Milky Way can be traced to the ground in this direction.
south-east - excellent
The south-east horizon is dark to the unaided eye. Faint stars are visible at the lowest elevations.
south-south-east - excellent
No artificial glow on the south-south-east horizon. Faint deep-sky objects in this direction are accessible at low elevation.
south - excellent
Clean, fully dark horizon to the south. Star counts remain high right down to the ground.
south-south-west - excellent
The south-south-west horizon is fully dark. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground and the Milky Way reaches the horizon on clear nights.
south-west - excellent
No artificial glow on the south-west horizon. Faint deep-sky objects in this direction are accessible at low elevation.
west-south-west - excellent
No artificial glow on the west-south-west horizon. Faint deep-sky objects in this direction are accessible at low elevation.
west - excellent
Clean, fully dark horizon to the west. Star counts remain high right down to the ground.
west-north-west - excellent
Dark sky to the west-north-west horizon. The Milky Way can be traced to the ground in this direction.
north-west - excellent
Dark sky to the north-west horizon. The Milky Way can be traced to the ground in this direction.
north-north-west - excellent
Dark sky to the north-north-west horizon. The Milky Way can be traced to the ground in this direction.
zenith - marginal
The zenith sky is clearly elevated above natural levels. Limiting magnitude is around 3.5.
-
St Catherines, Prince Edward Island
- Direction
- WSW
- Distance (km)
- 13.5
- SQM
- 21.19
- Bortle
- 4
-
Afton Road, Prince Edward Island
- Direction
- NE
- Distance (km)
- 21.9
- SQM
- 21.32
- Bortle
- 3
-
Martinvale, Prince Edward Island
- Direction
- ENE
- Distance (km)
- 37.6
- SQM
- 21.55
- Bortle
- 3
-
Bellevue, Prince Edward Island
- Direction
- ESE
- Distance (km)
- 34.5
- SQM
- 21.20
- Bortle
- 4
-
Grahams Road, Prince Edward Island
- Direction
- NW
- Distance (km)
- 38.2
- SQM
- 21.15
- Bortle
- 4
-
Botsford Parish, New Brunswick
- Direction
- W
- Distance (km)
- 62.5
- SQM
- 21.38
- Bortle
- 3