Clarksville Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Clarksville
- City
- Clarksville
- Country
- United States
- Latitude
- 36.5298
- Longitude
- -87.3595
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsecĀ²)
- 18.57
- Bortle class
- Class 8 (Class 8)
- Darkness Quotient
- 28%
- Dataset
- August 2026
City sky
Clarksville: The Practical Verdict
Clarksville, a small city in Tennessee, suffers from high light pollution typical of such urban environments. The overall quality of the astronomy experience here is poor, with a city sky that washes out many celestial objects. The combination of suburban setting and nearby urban centres, like Nashville to the south-east, exacerbates this issue.
From Clarksvilleās sky, the Milky Way is erased by the bright urban sky background, making it impossible to observe. Focus your efforts instead on viewing the Moon, planets, bright stars, and conducting solar system observing events. Narrowband imaging is possible but requires significant care to mitigate the light pollution.
For those willing to venture further, heading towards Saline County, Illinois, around 160 km north-west, offers a notable upgrade. With significantly darker skies and Bortle Class 4 conditions, keen observers will find this option worthwhile for serious deep-sky exploration.
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
- Saline County, Illinois sits about 159 km north west and reaches Bortle 4, roughly 10x darker.
- Good dark window
- Clarksville'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 Clarksville?
No. Clarksville is a Bortle Class 8 sky with SQM 18.57, 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 Clarksville?
Clarksville is Bortle Class 8 (SQM 18.57), a poor city sky for astronomy.
Is Clarksville good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Clarksville is a poor city sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Clarksville good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Clarksville and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Clarksville without careful processing.
What can you observe from Clarksville?
Primary targets from Clarksville 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 Clarksville?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Malloy Road, Tennessee, about 29 km south south east of Clarksville, reaching Bortle 5.
When is the sky darkest in Clarksville?
The sky over Clarksville is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in Clarksville getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Clarksville 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 - fair
A faint diffuse glow on the north-east horizon. Stars are visible to low elevation, with minor losses near the ground.
east-north-east - fair
Light glow detectable on the east-north-east horizon. The effect fades quickly with elevation and does not affect overhead work.
east - good
No noticeable light pollution to the east. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
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
Dark horizon to the west. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.
west-north-west - good
The west-north-west horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
north-west - fair
Light glow detectable on the north-west horizon. The effect fades quickly with elevation and does not affect overhead work.
north-north-west - fair
A faint diffuse glow on the north-north-west horizon. Stars are visible to low elevation, with minor losses near the ground.
zenith - marginal
The zenith sky is clearly elevated above natural levels. Limiting magnitude is around 3.5.
-
Malloy Road, Tennessee
- Direction
- SSE
- Distance (km)
- 29.4
- SQM
- 20.37
- Bortle
- 5
-
Delmont Cemetery Road, Kentucky
- Direction
- WNW
- Distance (km)
- 42.9
- SQM
- 20.67
- Bortle
- 5
-
Charleston, Kentucky
- Direction
- NNW
- Distance (km)
- 79.5
- SQM
- 20.49
- Bortle
- 5
-
Mc Pherson Road, Kentucky
- Direction
- NNE
- Distance (km)
- 139.9
- SQM
- 20.73
- Bortle
- 5
-
Saline County, Illinois
- Direction
- NW
- Distance (km)
- 158.6
- SQM
- 21.07
- Bortle
- 4
-
Waterfall Creek Road, Tennessee
- Direction
- SSW
- Distance (km)
- 154.5
- SQM
- 20.90
- Bortle
- 4