Evansville Stargazing & Astronomy Report

Light pollution and stargazing locations near Evansville

City
Evansville
Country
United States
Latitude
37.9748
Longitude
-87.5558

Key Sky Quality Metrics

SQM (mag/arcsec²)
18.10
Bortle class
Class 8 (Class 8)
Darkness Quotient
24%
Dataset
March 2026

City sky

Stargazing in Evansville

Evansville is a mid-sized river city in south-western Indiana, close to the Kentucky border, with a strongly urban character set within a broader rural region.

The city generally experiences High Light Pollution, with a Darkness Quotient of 24% — making it brighter than many smaller inland towns, though not quite as overwhelmed as the largest metropolitan cores.

For practical observing from within the city, the most reliable targets are the Moon, planets, double stars and the brightest open clusters. A few showpiece deep-sky objects can be attempted with care, but faint galaxies, dim nebulae and the richer sweep of the Milky Way are largely lost in the urban glow.

Meaningfully darker skies do not sit right on the doorstep, and a proper step up in quality calls for a drive of around 90 kilometres or more. The nearest really worthwhile improvement is to the south-east, near Near Ohio County, Kentucky, where conditions reach a much darker rural sky.

The map shows Evansville as part of a broad urban glow rather than an isolated pinpoint, with the brightest built-up areas appearing in pinks and reds and then fading outward through yellow and green into blue. That pattern suggests the city's light spreads well beyond the centre and softens the sky over a sizeable surrounding area.

The darkest-looking ground on this crop appears mainly toward the south-west edge, where the colours sink into darker blue-grey tones and the bright urban patches thin out. Other directions do improve, but much of the wider region is peppered with smaller bright islands, so the landscape is not uniformly dark even once you leave the city behind.

Compared with its surroundings, Evansville stands out clearly as one of the stronger light domes in the area. The best opportunities come by heading away from the denser clusters of brightness and into the broader blue regions, where the sky background should become noticeably cleaner.

How the sky overhead feels

Looking straight up from Evansville, the sky is heavily affected by urban light, with a zenith reading of 18.1 SQM placing it in a bright city-sky regime. The background will usually look greyish rather than truly black, especially once your eyes have adapted.

The brighter constellations remain recognisable, and the main seasonal star patterns still stand out, but the fainter linking stars are thinned out. That makes the sky feel simpler and less richly textured than it would from a darker rural site.

For casual observing this still leaves plenty to enjoy, especially the Moon and planets. For deep-sky work, however, the overhead brightness quickly becomes the main limiting factor.

north - poor

At around 15 kilometres north of Evansville, the sky is still poor, sitting in the Bortle 7 range. It improves quite well farther out, with genuinely dark conditions appearing at about 100 kilometres in this direction.

north-north-east - marginal

At around 15 kilometres to the north-north-east, conditions are marginal, with a Bortle 6 sky that is better than the city centre but still noticeably washed out. Skies become good farther out, but genuinely dark conditions are not reached within the sampled distance in this direction.

north-east - marginal

Around 15 kilometres to the north-east, the sky is marginal, again in the Bortle 6 range. Keep going and conditions improve strongly, with genuinely dark skies reached at about 100 kilometres.

east-north-east - marginal

The east-north-east direction is marginal at roughly 15 kilometres out, with a Bortle 6 sky. A more substantial improvement arrives farther away, and genuinely dark conditions show up at about 100 kilometres.

east - poor

At roughly 15 kilometres east of the city, the sky remains poor, around Bortle 7. It does improve with distance, and genuinely dark skies are reached at about 100 kilometres in this direction.

east-south-east - marginal

About 15 kilometres east-south-east, the sky is marginal, in the Bortle 6 range. There is some improvement farther out, but genuinely dark skies are not reached within the sampled distance in this direction.

south-east - fair

South-east is one of the more promising headings close to Evansville, with a fair Bortle 5 sky at around 15 kilometres. It keeps improving farther out, though genuinely dark conditions do not arrive until about 200 kilometres.

south-south-east - marginal

At around 15 kilometres to the south-south-east, conditions are marginal with a Bortle 6 sky. There is a worthwhile improvement farther out to good rural conditions, but genuinely dark skies are not reached within the sampled distance in this direction.

south - marginal

Roughly 15 kilometres south of the city, the sky is marginal, at Bortle 6. Continue outward and it improves notably, with genuinely dark skies reached at about 100 kilometres.

south-south-west - marginal

At around 15 kilometres to the south-south-west, the sky is marginal, also in the Bortle 6 range. This is one of the better directions for a longer trip, with genuinely dark conditions arriving at about 50 kilometres.

south-west - fair

South-west gives a fair sky at around 15 kilometres, with Bortle 5 conditions already noticeably better than the city. It continues to improve well, reaching genuinely dark skies at about 100 kilometres.

west-south-west - marginal

At around 15 kilometres west-south-west, the sky is marginal, around Bortle 6. Travel farther and the payoff is strong, with genuinely dark conditions reached at about 50 kilometres.

west - fair

West of Evansville, the sky is fair at roughly 15 kilometres, with Bortle 5 conditions. It improves to a good rural sky farther out, but genuinely dark skies are not reached within the sampled distance in this direction.

west-north-west - fair

Around 15 kilometres west-north-west, the sky is fair, in the Bortle 5 range. There is a stronger improvement farther out, with genuinely dark conditions reached at about 100 kilometres.

north-west - fair

North-west is fair at around 15 kilometres, with a Bortle 5 sky that is a useful step up from the city. Genuinely dark conditions appear farther out at about 100 kilometres.

north-north-west - marginal

At roughly 15 kilometres north-north-west, the sky is marginal, around Bortle 6. It improves steadily with distance, and genuinely dark skies are reached at about 100 kilometres.

zenith - poor

Looking straight up from Evansville, the zenith is poor, with a Bortle 8 sky and an SQM reading of 18.1. The brighter constellations are still easy enough to pick out, but the background stays bright and many fainter stars and subtle patterns are lost in the city glow.

  • Near Songer Township, Illinois
    Direction
    NW
    Distance (km)
    123.5
    SQM
    21.20
    Bortle
    4

    Bright nebulae, galaxies, narrowband imaging

  • Near Martin County, Indiana
    Direction
    NE
    Distance (km)
    102.7
    SQM
    21.05
    Bortle
    4

    Bright nebulae, galaxies, narrowband imaging

  • Near Ohio County, Kentucky
    Direction
    SE
    Distance (km)
    91.2
    SQM
    21.04
    Bortle
    4

    Bright nebulae, galaxies, narrowband imaging

Genuinely dark skies require a worthwhile drive from Evansville rather than a quick hop to the edge of town. The nearest strong improvement is about 90 kilometres to the south-east, near Near Ohio County, Kentucky, where skies reach Bortle 4.

If you are willing to go a little farther, similarly good conditions also appear to the north-east near Near Martin County, Indiana and to the north-west near Near Songer Township, Illinois. Close to the city, though, the sky remains noticeably light-polluted.

  • Within 100 km
    Place
    Near Ohio County, Kentucky
    Direction
    SE
    Distance (km)
    91.2
    SQM
    21.04
    Bortle
    4
  • Within 200 km
    Place
    Near Songer Township, Illinois
    Direction
    NW
    Distance (km)
    123.5
    SQM
    21.20
    Bortle
    4

Long-term brightness trend

Evansville's long-term sky trend is fairly steady rather than dramatic. Across 75 datasets, readings range from 17.78 to 18.38 SQM, with a mean of 18.13 SQM.

The earliest reading in the series was 18.21 SQM, while the latest is 18.1 SQM. That points to a very slight brightening of the night sky over time, with a trend of about -0.0031 SQM per year.

In practical terms, that is a small change rather than a major shift in observing conditions. City observers would still experience broadly similar limitations from year to year, with local lighting and transparency often making a bigger night-to-night difference.

From within Evansville, the safest bets are bright, high-contrast objects that can punch through a luminous urban background. The Moon, planets, double stars and the brightest open clusters are all realistic and rewarding targets.

A few showcase deep-sky objects can still be tried, especially with careful timing, good transparency and some experience. Bright nebulae such as M42 and the brightest globular clusters are possible, but they will not show the same richness or contrast they gain under darker skies.

For the Milky Way, faint galaxies, broad nebulae and meteor watching, a darker site makes a dramatic difference. These are the targets most held back by Evansville's bright sky.

  • Moon
  • planets
  • double stars
  • brightest open clusters
  • bright nebulae such as M42
  • the brightest globular clusters
  • Milky Way
  • faint galaxies
  • broadband nebulae
  • meteor showers

Can you see stars from Evansville?

Yes — you can still see stars from Evansville, especially the brighter constellations and standout stars. What you lose is the fainter background population that makes the sky look rich and crowded from darker places.

Can you see the Milky Way from Evansville?

In most of the city, the Milky Way is very difficult to see and will usually be washed out by skyglow. For a proper view, you would want to drive out to a darker rural site.

What Bortle class is Evansville?

Evansville is Bortle Class 8, which is a bright city sky. That means urban lighting has a strong effect on what is visible to the naked eye.

What is the SQM reading in Evansville?

The current SQM reading is 18.1. In simple terms, that indicates a fairly bright night sky by astronomical standards.

Where are the nearest dark skies to Evansville?

The nearest strong option in the supplied nearby sites is Near Ohio County, Kentucky, about 91.2 kilometres to the south-east, where conditions reach Bortle 4. Other good alternatives are Near Martin County, Indiana to the north-east and Near Songer Township, Illinois to the north-west.

Is Evansville good for astrophotography?

It can work for lunar, planetary and some narrowband or brighter-target imaging, but Evansville is not ideal for faint wide-field deep-sky astrophotography from within the city. For better contrast and cleaner data, darker rural skies are much more forgiving.

How far do you need to drive from Evansville for darker skies?

For a clearly worthwhile improvement, you are looking at roughly 90 kilometres to reach a Bortle 4 site, with the nearest listed option being Near Ohio County, Kentucky. Some directions improve sooner than others, but truly dark skies generally require a meaningful trip away from the city.