Coquitlam Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Coquitlam
- City
- Coquitlam
- Country
- Canada
- Latitude
- 49.2838
- Longitude
- -122.7932
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 18.18
- Bortle class
- Class 8 (Class 8)
- Darkness Quotient
- 24%
- Dataset
- July 2026
City sky
Coquitlam: The Practical Verdict
Coquitlam is a small city located in the suburban belt of British Columbia. The overall verdict for astronomical observations here is disappointing due to high light pollution. The primary restricting factor is that the Milky Way is not visible at all in the bright urban sky.
From Coquitlam, the night sky offers limited opportunities. Observing the Moon, planets, and bright stars is feasible, along with narrowband imaging with care. However, visual deep-sky observing and capturing broadband galaxies are largely ineffective under these conditions.
For darker skies, travelling to a site 122 km to the north-west significantly improves sky quality. This visit is worthwhile for those seeking a better environment for 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
- 122 km NW sits about 122 km north west and reaches Bortle 2, roughly 26x darker.
- Moderate dark window
- Coquitlam'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 Coquitlam?
No. Coquitlam is a Bortle Class 8 sky with SQM 18.18, 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 Coquitlam?
Coquitlam is Bortle Class 8 (SQM 18.18), a poor city sky for astronomy.
Is Coquitlam good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Coquitlam is a poor city sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Coquitlam good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Coquitlam and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Coquitlam without careful processing.
What can you observe from Coquitlam?
Primary targets from Coquitlam 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 Coquitlam?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is 61 km WNW, about 61 km west north west of Coquitlam, reaching Bortle 5.
When is the sky darkest in Coquitlam?
The sky over Coquitlam is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in Coquitlam getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Coquitlam has been broadly stable across the available measurements.
north - good
Clean, dark sky to the north. No visible artificial light source affects this quarter.
north-north-east - good
No visible glow on the north-north-east horizon. Stars are clear down to low elevation in this direction.
north-east - good
Clean horizon to the north-east. Star counts remain high near the ground.
east-north-east - good
Clean horizon to the east-north-east. Star counts remain high near the ground.
east - good
The east sky shows no obvious glow at ground level. Faint stars are clear at low elevation.
east-south-east - fair
A small artificial brightening near the east-south-east horizon. Star counts in this direction remain high above the lowest elevations.
south-east - marginal
A soft but obvious glow marks the south-east horizon. The lowest 15-20 degrees of sky in this direction are degraded.
south-south-east - marginal
A soft but obvious glow marks the south-south-east horizon. The lowest 15-20 degrees of sky in this direction are degraded.
south - marginal
The south horizon is brighter than natural. Faint stars are suppressed up to roughly 15-20 degrees elevation.
south-south-west - poor
The south-south-west horizon is bright with artificial light. Only stars brighter than magnitude 3 are visible at low elevation.
south-west - poor
The south-west horizon is bright with artificial light. Only stars brighter than magnitude 3 are visible at low elevation.
west-south-west - marginal
The west-south-west horizon is brighter than natural. Faint stars are suppressed up to roughly 15-20 degrees elevation.
west - marginal
A soft but obvious glow marks the west horizon. The lowest 15-20 degrees of sky in this direction are degraded.
west-north-west - fair
Subtle skyglow on the west-north-west horizon. Faint stars below about 10 degrees here are slightly suppressed.
north-west - good
The north-west horizon is free of artificial brightening. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground.
north-north-west - good
Clean horizon to the north-north-west. Star counts remain high near the ground.
zenith - marginal
Light pollution affects most of the overhead sky. Star counts are a fraction of a dark site.
-
67 km SW
- Direction
- SW
- Distance (km)
- 66.9
- SQM
- 21.09
- Bortle
- 4
-
61 km WNW
- Direction
- WNW
- Distance (km)
- 61.2
- SQM
- 20.75
- Bortle
- 5
-
81 km S
- Direction
- S
- Distance (km)
- 80.6
- SQM
- 20.94
- Bortle
- 4
-
122 km NW
- Direction
- NW
- Distance (km)
- 121.9
- SQM
- 21.72
- Bortle
- 2
-
124 km WSW
- Direction
- WSW
- Distance (km)
- 123.6
- SQM
- 21.37
- Bortle
- 3
-
184 km W
- Direction
- W
- Distance (km)
- 184.3
- SQM
- 21.65
- Bortle
- 3