Gladstone Stargazing & Astronomy Report

Light pollution and stargazing locations near Gladstone

City
Gladstone
Country
Australia
Latitude
-23.8428
Longitude
151.2553

Key Sky Quality Metrics

SQM (mag/arcsec²)
19.03
Bortle class
Class 7 (Class 7)
Darkness Quotient
33%
Dataset
April 2026

Suburban/urban transition

Gladstone: The Practical Verdict

Situated in Queensland, Gladstone is a small city with a population of about 35,000. Its skies currently fall within the "Poor urban/suburban" category, making it unsuitable for serious deep-sky observations. The dominant source of light pollution lies to the south-east, while the north-east offers the cleanest horizons, albeit with only modest improvement away from town.

Bright celestial targets, such as the Moon, planets, bright double stars, and select open clusters, are within reach for observers here. However, the Milky Way and broader deep-sky objects remain invisible due to the intensified light pollution. Narrowband imaging can still produce fair results with proper attention, but visual observation is heavily constrained.

For those seeking substantially darker skies, Eurimbula, Queensland, just under 60 km east-south-east, offers a dramatic improvement, with conditions optimal for deep-sky observing and imaging.

At a Glance

Overall
Poor urban/suburban sky - This is a poor sky for astronomy. The Moon, planets, and a few bright objects remain viable, but deep-sky work is difficult.
Milky Way
Not visible - The Milky Way is not realistically visible from this level of light pollution.
Best targets from here
Moon, planets, bright double stars, bright open clusters, narrowband imaging with careful processing
Do not prioritise
visual deep-sky observing, broadband galaxies, reflection nebulae, Milky Way photography
Best nearby upgrade
Eurimbula, Queensland sits about 57 km east south east and reaches Bortle 2, roughly 12x darker.
Good dark window
Gladstone's longest dark windows fall in June and July, with the shortest nights around December and January. For deep-sky imaging, winter gives the best combination of long nights and true astronomical darkness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you see the Milky Way from Gladstone?

No. Gladstone is a Bortle Class 7 sky with SQM 19.03, 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 Gladstone?

Gladstone is Bortle Class 7 (SQM 19.03), a poor urban/suburban sky for astronomy.

Is Gladstone good for stargazing?

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

Is Gladstone good for astrophotography?

Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Gladstone and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Narrowband imaging of bright emission nebulae remains viable from Gladstone with appropriate Ha or OIII filters.

What can you observe from Gladstone?

Primary targets from Gladstone include Moon, planets, bright double stars, bright open clusters, narrowband imaging with careful processing. Targets such as visual deep-sky observing, broadband galaxies, reflection nebulae are not realistic from this sky.

Where are darker skies near Gladstone?

The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Gladstone, Queensland, about 10 km east north east of Gladstone, reaching Bortle 4.

When is the sky darkest in Gladstone?

The sky over Gladstone is darkest around June, July.

Is light pollution in Gladstone getting better or worse?

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

north - good

The north sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.

north-north-east - excellent

Dark sky to the north-north-east horizon. The Milky Way can be traced to the ground in this direction.

north-east - excellent

The north-east horizon is dark to the unaided eye. Faint stars are visible at the lowest elevations.

east-north-east - excellent

Dark sky to the east-north-east horizon. The Milky Way can be traced to the ground in this direction.

east - excellent

The east horizon is dark to the unaided eye. Faint stars are visible at the lowest elevations.

east-south-east - good

Dark horizon to the east-south-east. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.

south-east - good

Dark horizon to the south-east. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.

south-south-east - good

The south-south-east horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.

south - good

Dark sky in the south direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.

south-south-west - good

The south-south-west sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.

south-west - good

The south-west horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.

west-south-west - good

The west-south-west horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.

west - good

Dark horizon to the west. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.

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

Dark horizon to the north-west. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.

north-north-west - good

Dark sky in the north-north-west direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.

zenith - fair

Moderate light pollution overhead. The Milky Way cannot be seen and the star field is sparser than at a dark site.

  • Gladstone, Queensland
    Direction
    ENE
    Distance (km)
    10
    SQM
    20.81
    Bortle
    4
  • Gladstone Regional, Queensland
    Direction
    SE
    Distance (km)
    19.6
    SQM
    20.96
    Bortle
    4
  • Eurimbula, Queensland
    Direction
    ESE
    Distance (km)
    56.9
    SQM
    21.74
    Bortle
    2
  • Shoalwater, Queensland
    Direction
    NNW
    Distance (km)
    145.5
    SQM
    21.81
    Bortle
    2
  • Booyal, Queensland
    Direction
    SE
    Distance (km)
    176.2
    SQM
    21.28
    Bortle
    4