Denver Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Denver
- City
- Denver
- Country
- United States
- Latitude
- 39.7392
- Longitude
- -104.9903
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 17.74
- Bortle class
- Class 9 (Class 9)
- Darkness Quotient
- 21%
- Dataset
- April 2026
Inner city sky
Denver: The Practical Verdict
Denver, a major city in the state of Colorado, offers a sky significantly affected by urban light pollution, with conditions evaluated as Class 9 on the Bortle scale. Stargazing here is severely limited to the brightest celestial objects.
Though the Milky Way is entirely obscured by the city's brightness, targets like the Moon, visible planets, and the brightest double stars remain accessible for observers. Narrowband imaging can be attempted but will face challenges from the light-dominated backdrop.
A significant improvement in sky quality can be found at Mineral Creek Trail, approximately 260 km south-west of Denver. This site offers a substantially darker environment under a Bortle 3 sky, ideal for deeper astronomical pursuits.
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
- Mineral Creek Trail, Colorado sits about 260 km south west and reaches Bortle 3, roughly 30x darker.
- Good dark window
- Denver'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 Denver?
No. Denver is a Bortle Class 9 sky with SQM 17.74, 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 Denver?
Denver is Bortle Class 9 (SQM 17.74), a severe urban sky for astronomy.
Is Denver good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Denver is a severe urban sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Denver good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Denver and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Denver without careful processing.
What can you observe from Denver?
Primary targets from Denver 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 Denver?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Twin Cedars, Colorado, about 43 km south south west of Denver, reaching Bortle 6.
When is the sky darkest in Denver?
The sky over Denver is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in Denver getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Denver 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 - marginal
Soft skyglow visible on the north-north-east horizon. Mid-brightness stars survive at low elevation; the faintest do not.
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 - marginal
Noticeable glow on the east-north-east horizon. Stars below about 20 degrees in this direction are dimmed.
east - marginal
Soft skyglow visible on the east horizon. Mid-brightness stars survive at low elevation; the faintest do not.
east-south-east - marginal
Soft skyglow visible on the east-south-east horizon. Mid-brightness stars survive at low elevation; the faintest do not.
south-east - marginal
Soft skyglow visible on the south-east horizon. Mid-brightness stars survive at low elevation; the faintest do not.
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 - fair
A trace of skyglow near the south-south-west horizon. Stars are clear throughout this direction except very close to the ground.
south-west - fair
The south-west sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
west-south-west - fair
Light glow detectable on the west-south-west horizon. The effect fades quickly with elevation and does not affect overhead work.
west - marginal
A diffuse glow sits on the west horizon. Faint objects below 20 degrees in this direction are compromised.
west-north-west - fair
A trace of skyglow near the west-north-west horizon. Stars are clear throughout this direction except very 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 - marginal
A diffuse glow sits on the north-north-west horizon. Faint objects below 20 degrees in this direction are compromised.
zenith - poor
The overhead sky is conspicuously pale. Stars brighter than magnitude 3 are visible; fainter ones are lost.
-
Twin Cedars, Colorado
- Direction
- SSW
- Distance (km)
- 42.9
- SQM
- 19.86
- Bortle
- 6
-
Mineral Creek Trail, Colorado
- Direction
- SW
- Distance (km)
- 260
- SQM
- 21.42
- Bortle
- 3
-
Las Animas County, Colorado
- Direction
- S
- Distance (km)
- 263.9
- SQM
- 21.19
- Bortle
- 4