Guatemala City Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Guatemala City
- City
- Guatemala City
- Country
- Guatemala
- Latitude
- 14.6349
- Longitude
- -90.5069
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 18.42
- Bortle class
- Class 8 (Class 8)
- Darkness Quotient
- 27%
- Dataset
- March 2026
City sky
Stargazing in Guatemala City
Guatemala City is the national capital and largest urban centre of Guatemala, set in the country’s southern highlands and defined by its busy, sprawling metropolitan character.
The city generally experiences High Light Pollution, with a Darkness Quotient of 27% — placing it among the brighter major cities for night-sky observing.
For practical observing from within the city, the most reliable targets are the Moon, planets, double stars and the brightest open clusters. Fainter deep-sky objects are badly washed out by the urban skyglow, though a few showpiece objects can still be attempted with patience.
Meaningfully darker skies do exist, but they are not right on the doorstep. The nearest really worthwhile improvement is roughly 80 kilometres to the south-east, near Moyuta, Jutiapa, with another strong option about 60 kilometres to the west-north-west near Chichicastenango, Quiché.
The map shows Guatemala City as one of the brightest concentrations in the crop, with a vivid red-pink core surrounded by a broad halo of yellow, green and blue. That pattern is typical of a major urban light dome spreading well beyond the built-up area itself.
Away from the city, the glow breaks into a patchwork of smaller bright settlements rather than fading evenly in every direction. The darkest regions on the map appear as broader grey and black areas mainly inland away from the densest settlement clusters, while the south and south-west remain influenced by a chain of brighter populated zones.
In practical terms, the city stands out clearly against its surroundings, but it is not isolated: there are many secondary light sources around the region. That means sky quality improves as you leave the capital, though the cleanest horizons tend to come where the urban glow thins and the surrounding bright pockets become less frequent.
What the sky overhead is like
Looking straight up from Guatemala City, the zenith sits in a bright urban sky rather than anything close to natural darkness. The overhead view is strongly affected by city lighting, so the background sky rarely looks truly black.
Constellation patterns and the brighter stars are still visible, but the fainter members of those patterns tend to disappear first. The Milky Way is generally overwhelmed from the city itself, and deep-sky observing overhead is mostly limited to the brightest showpiece targets.
For many observers, the zenith will still feel better than the lower horizons, where the surrounding urban glow is more obvious. Even so, this is very much a city sky, not a dark-sky experience.
north - fair
About 15 kilometres north of the city, the sky is fair, around Bortle 5, so there is a noticeable improvement over the urban centre. Much darker skies are reachable further out, with genuinely dark conditions appearing at about 100 kilometres in this direction.
north-north-east - fair
At roughly 15 kilometres north-north-east, conditions are fair at Bortle 5, with brighter stars and some easier deep-sky targets improving a little. Considerably darker skies arrive much farther out, at about 100 kilometres.
north-east - marginal
Around 15 kilometres to the north-east, the sky is still marginal at Bortle 6, so urban skyglow remains a strong factor. A proper dark-sky step up comes only after a much longer run, with genuinely dark conditions reached at about 100 kilometres.
east-north-east - marginal
At about 15 kilometres east-north-east, conditions are marginal, around Bortle 6, meaning the city’s glow is still very present. The direction does improve later on, but genuinely dark skies are only reached at about 200 kilometres.
east - marginal
Roughly 15 kilometres east of Guatemala City, the sky remains marginal at Bortle 6. It gets better with distance, with genuinely dark conditions appearing at about 100 kilometres in this direction.
east-south-east - marginal
At around 15 kilometres east-south-east, the sky is still marginal at Bortle 6, though it is clearly better than the city centre. This is one of the stronger directions for improvement, with genuinely dark skies reached by about 50 kilometres.
south-east - marginal
Around 15 kilometres to the south-east, conditions are marginal at Bortle 6, so faint objects remain difficult. This direction improves well with distance, reaching genuinely dark skies at about 50 kilometres.
south-south-east - marginal
At roughly 15 kilometres south-south-east, the sky is marginal, around Bortle 6, with the urban glow still obvious. A much better dark-sky result appears farther out, at about 100 kilometres.
south - marginal
About 15 kilometres south of the city, conditions are marginal at Bortle 6, so the background sky is still fairly bright. The direction becomes much stronger farther out, with genuinely dark skies at about 100 kilometres.
south-south-west - poor
At around 15 kilometres south-south-west, the sky is still poor at Bortle 8, with very heavy light pollution lingering beyond the city. It does improve eventually, but genuinely dark conditions are only reached at about 100 kilometres.
south-west - poor
Roughly 15 kilometres south-west of Guatemala City, the sky remains poor at Bortle 7, so this is not a strong quick-escape direction. Better skies do come with distance, with genuinely dark conditions reached at about 100 kilometres.
west-south-west - marginal
At about 15 kilometres west-south-west, the sky is marginal at Bortle 6, though still noticeably affected by surrounding settlement glow. This direction becomes uneven farther out, and genuinely dark skies are only reached at about 200 kilometres.
west - marginal
Around 15 kilometres west, conditions are marginal at Bortle 6, offering only a modest improvement over the city. Farther out the sky can become good, but genuinely dark skies are not reached within the sampled distance in this direction.
west-north-west - marginal
At roughly 15 kilometres west-north-west, the sky is marginal at Bortle 6, so brighter targets remain the main focus. The direction improves steadily, with genuinely dark skies reached at about 200 kilometres.
north-west - marginal
About 15 kilometres north-west of the city, the sky is marginal at Bortle 6, with city glow still evident. A more substantial improvement comes farther out, and genuinely dark skies appear at about 100 kilometres.
north-north-west - fair
At around 15 kilometres north-north-west, conditions are fair at Bortle 5, making this one of the better short-drive directions. It strengthens quickly with distance too, reaching genuinely dark skies at about 50 kilometres.
zenith - poor
Looking straight up from Guatemala City, the zenith is poor at Bortle 8, with a bright background sky that suppresses faint stars. Familiar constellations still show their main outlines, but subtler stars and the Milky Way are generally lost in the glow.
-
Near Moyuta, Jutiapa
- Direction
- SE
- Distance (km)
- 80.5
- SQM
- 21.23
- Bortle
- 4
Bright nebulae, galaxies, narrowband imaging
-
Near Chicacao, Suchitepéquez
- Direction
- WSW
- Distance (km)
- 99.2
- SQM
- 21.19
- Bortle
- 4
Bright nebulae, galaxies, narrowband imaging
-
Near Chichicastenango, Quiché
- Direction
- WNW
- Distance (km)
- 60.9
- SQM
- 21.09
- Bortle
- 4
Bright nebulae, galaxies, narrowband imaging
Genuinely dark skies are reachable from Guatemala City, but they require a deliberate trip rather than a quick hop across town.
The nearest strong step up is about 80 kilometres to the south-east at Near Moyuta, Jutiapa, where conditions reach Bortle 4, while Near Chichicastenango, Quiché is another good option at roughly 60 kilometres to the west-north-west. In the immediate surroundings of the capital, the sky remains noticeably affected by the city’s light dome.
-
Within 100 km
- Place
- Near Moyuta, Jutiapa
- Direction
- SE
- Distance (km)
- 80.5
- SQM
- 21.23
- Bortle
- 4
Long-term sky trend
The long-term picture is one of slight brightening rather than improvement. Guatemala City’s SQM shifts from 18.54 in the earliest record to 18.42 in the latest, a small decline in darkness overall.
The fitted trend of -0.0213 SQM per year suggests a gradual worsening over time rather than a sudden change. Even so, the historical spread from 18.18 to 21.76 shows that conditions across the wider record can vary a great deal, whether through measurement location, atmospheric clarity or temporary lighting conditions.
Taken together, the data suggest that city-centre stargazing has remained challenging for years, with only modest movement in the overall baseline.
From within Guatemala City, the safest bets are bright, high-contrast objects that can cut through heavy skyglow. The Moon and planets do well, and double stars are often rewarding because they are less affected by background brightness than faint nebulae or galaxies.
A few showpiece deep-sky targets can still be attempted with compromises, especially with larger apertures, filters where appropriate, and careful choice of transparent nights. Even then, subtle structure is usually lost compared with what you would see from a darker site.
For the Milky Way, faint galaxies, wide nebulae and meteor watching, a trip outside the city makes a dramatic difference. These are the kinds of targets that benefit most from the darker rural skies available farther out.
- 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 Guatemala City?
Yes — you can still see plenty of the brighter stars and the main outlines of constellations from Guatemala City. What you lose first are the fainter stars that make the sky look rich and detailed.
Can you see the Milky Way from Guatemala City?
In most normal city conditions, no: the Milky Way is generally overwhelmed by the urban skyglow. For a clear Milky Way view, you would want to head well outside the capital.
What Bortle class is Guatemala City?
Guatemala City is Bortle 8, which is a bright city sky. In practical terms, that means serious deep-sky observing is quite limited from within the city itself.
What is the SQM in Guatemala City?
The measured sky brightness is 18.42 SQM. That is firmly on the bright side for astronomical observing and matches the strongly urban character of the sky.
Where are the nearest dark skies to Guatemala City?
The nearest strong dark-sky option in the supplied locations is Near Chichicastenango, Quiché at 60.9 kilometres to the west-north-west, reaching Bortle 4. Another very good option is Near Moyuta, Jutiapa at 80.5 kilometres to the south-east, also Bortle 4.
Is Guatemala City good for astrophotography?
It can work for lunar, planetary and some narrow-field targets, especially if you are focusing on bright objects. For wide-field nightscapes, the Milky Way or faint deep-sky imaging, you will get far better results by travelling to darker surroundings.
How far do you need to drive for darker skies from Guatemala City?
For a clearly worthwhile improvement, you are generally looking at roughly 60 to 80 kilometres, depending on direction and destination. The most accessible named Bortle 4 sites in the data are near Chichicastenango, Quiché and Near Moyuta, Jutiapa.