Derby Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Derby
- City
- Derby
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Latitude
- 52.9225
- Longitude
- -1.4746
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 18.38
- Bortle class
- Class 8 (Class 8)
- Darkness Quotient
- 26%
- Dataset
- August 2026
City sky
Derby: The Practical Verdict
Derby is a mid-size city in the United Kingdom with a suburban setting. Observing conditions here can be challenging, marked by a poor city sky with significant light pollution. The Milky Way is entirely invisible, and artificial sky brightness dominates.
Within the city, the most realistic targets are bright objects such as the Moon, planets, and double stars. However, visual deep-sky observation is impractical, and wide-field views of the Milky Way should be avoided. Narrowband imaging may work with caution, but broadband deep-sky imaging will struggle against the sky background.
For those seeking better conditions, Llanfechain offers a significant upgrade, found about 120 km west of Derby. This site offers darker skies with a noticeable improvement in visibility for serious deep-sky observing.
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
- Llanfechain sits about 119 km west and reaches Bortle 4, roughly 11x darker.
- Moderate dark window
- Derby's limiting factor is not only light pollution. Around midsummer, Derby loses true astronomical darkness entirely, so deep-sky observing and imaging are strongly seasonal. Plan serious sessions around the darker months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you see the Milky Way from Derby?
No. Derby is a Bortle Class 8 sky with SQM 18.38, 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 Derby?
Derby is Bortle Class 8 (SQM 18.38), a poor city sky for astronomy.
Is Derby good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Derby is a poor city sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Derby good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Derby and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Derby without careful processing.
What can you observe from Derby?
Primary targets from Derby 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 Derby?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Yeaveley CP, about 18 km west north west of Derby, reaching Bortle 5.
When is the sky darkest in Derby?
The sky over Derby is darkest around January, December. Significant summer limitation: around 72 nights per year have no true astronomical darkness.
Is light pollution in Derby getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Derby has been broadly stable across the available measurements.
north - good
No noticeable light pollution to the north. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
north-north-east - fair
Faint glow on the north-north-east horizon. Most stars are visible to low elevation; only the faintest near the ground are affected.
north-east - fair
The north-east sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
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 - fair
The east sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
east-south-east - fair
The east-south-east sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
south-east - marginal
Noticeable glow on the south-east horizon. Stars below about 20 degrees in this direction are dimmed.
south-south-east - good
Dark horizon to the south-south-east. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.
south - good
Dark horizon to the south. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.
south-south-west - good
The south-south-west horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
south-west - fair
A trace of skyglow near the south-west horizon. Stars are clear throughout this direction except very close to the ground.
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
No noticeable light pollution to the west. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
west-north-west - good
Dark sky in the west-north-west direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
north-west - good
No noticeable light pollution to the north-west. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
north-north-west - good
The north-north-west sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
zenith - marginal
The overhead sky is too bright for faint-object work. Bright stars, planets, and the brighter clusters are accessible.
-
Yeaveley CP
- Direction
- WNW
- Distance (km)
- 17.9
- SQM
- 20.53
- Bortle
- 5
-
Northwood and Tinkersley CP
- Direction
- WNW
- Distance (km)
- 30.1
- SQM
- 20.32
- Bortle
- 5
-
Berry Hill
- Direction
- NE
- Distance (km)
- 28.5
- SQM
- 19.98
- Bortle
- 6
-
Wragby
- Direction
- ENE
- Distance (km)
- 88.8
- SQM
- 20.72
- Bortle
- 5
-
Pilsgate
- Direction
- ESE
- Distance (km)
- 78.2
- SQM
- 20.27
- Bortle
- 6
-
Llanfechain
- Direction
- W
- Distance (km)
- 118.9
- SQM
- 20.95
- Bortle
- 4