Fontana Stargazing & Astronomy Report

Light pollution and stargazing locations near Fontana

City
Fontana
Country
United States
Latitude
34.0922
Longitude
-117.4350

Key Sky Quality Metrics

SQM (mag/arcsec²)
17.81
Bortle class
Class 9 (Class 9)
Darkness Quotient
21%
Dataset
August 2026

Inner city sky

Fontana: The Practical Verdict

Fontana, nestled in California, is a small city marked by high light pollution due to its suburban setting. The onsite sky conditions offer a severe urban sky quality, making the Milky Way not visible. The prevalent light pollution, largely influenced by proximity to Los Angeles, limits deep-sky astronomy.

What you can realistically observe from Fontana includes the Moon, planets, and bright stars. The double stars and solar system events are also worthy targets but engaging with deep-sky objects like galaxies and nebulae is particularly challenging. Narrowband imaging might yield results with care, but visual deep-sky observing remains largely unfeasible.

For a significantly darker sky, a visit to Ventura County, west south-west of Fontana, offers a Bortle 2 sky, providing a more suitable backdrop for serious deep-sky observations. This upgrade presents an improved stargazing window, particularly rewarding for enthusiasts willing to make the drive.

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
Ventura County, California sits about 215 km west south west and reaches Bortle 2, roughly 37x darker.
Good dark window
Fontana'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 Fontana?

No. Fontana is a Bortle Class 9 sky with SQM 17.81, 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 Fontana?

Fontana is Bortle Class 9 (SQM 17.81), a severe urban sky for astronomy.

Is Fontana good for stargazing?

Not for serious deep-sky observing. Fontana is a severe urban sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.

Is Fontana good for astrophotography?

Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Fontana and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Fontana without careful processing.

What can you observe from Fontana?

Primary targets from Fontana 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 Fontana?

The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is El Mirage, California, about 58 km north north west of Fontana, reaching Bortle 6.

When is the sky darkest in Fontana?

The sky over Fontana is darkest around January, December.

Is light pollution in Fontana getting better or worse?

Long-term light pollution over Fontana has been broadly stable across the available measurements.

north - fair

Mild brightening on the north horizon. Faint stars at the very lowest elevation are dimmed; otherwise unaffected.

north-north-east - fair

Mild brightening on the north-north-east horizon. Faint stars at the very lowest elevation are dimmed; otherwise unaffected.

north-east - marginal

A soft but obvious glow marks the north-east horizon. The lowest 15-20 degrees of sky in this direction are degraded.

east-north-east - marginal

The lower east-north-east sky is moderately light-polluted. Useful for bright targets above about 20 degrees only.

east - poor

A bright dome of skyglow sits on the east horizon. Faint stars are suppressed up to roughly 25 degrees elevation.

east-south-east - marginal

A soft but obvious glow marks the east-south-east horizon. The lowest 15-20 degrees of sky in this direction are degraded.

south-east - marginal

Moderate brightening on the south-east horizon. Star counts at low elevation here are reduced.

south-south-east - poor

The south-south-east horizon is bright with artificial light. Only stars brighter than magnitude 3 are visible at low elevation.

south - marginal

Moderate brightening on the south horizon. Star counts at low elevation here are reduced.

south-south-west - marginal

The lower south-south-west sky is moderately light-polluted. Useful for bright targets above about 20 degrees only.

south-west - poor

Strong artificial brightening to the south-west. Faint and mid-brightness stars near the horizon are absent.

west-south-west - poor

The west-south-west horizon is bright with artificial light. Only stars brighter than magnitude 3 are visible at low elevation.

west - poor

Significant glow on the west horizon. Avoid this direction for objects below 30 degrees elevation.

west-north-west - marginal

Moderate brightening on the west-north-west horizon. Star counts at low elevation here are reduced.

north-west - fair

The north-west horizon shows a slight brightening. Workable for most targets above about 10 degrees elevation.

north-north-west - fair

Subtle skyglow on the north-north-west horizon. Faint stars below about 10 degrees here are slightly suppressed.

zenith - poor

Overhead is heavily light-polluted. Only stars brighter than about magnitude 3 are visible.

  • El Mirage, California
    Direction
    NNW
    Distance (km)
    57.6
    SQM
    19.69
    Bortle
    6
  • South Main Divide Road, California
    Direction
    S
    Distance (km)
    59.6
    SQM
    19.42
    Bortle
    7
  • Cottonwood Road, California
    Direction
    SW
    Distance (km)
    122.6
    SQM
    20.89
    Bortle
    4
  • China Canyon Road, California
    Direction
    SW
    Distance (km)
    165
    SQM
    21.65
    Bortle
    3
  • Ventura County, California
    Direction
    WSW
    Distance (km)
    215
    SQM
    21.72
    Bortle
    2
  • Cementerio, California
    Direction
    W
    Distance (km)
    272
    SQM
    21.70
    Bortle
    3