Hobart Stargazing & Astronomy Report

Light pollution and stargazing locations near Hobart

City
Hobart
Country
Australia
Latitude
-42.8821
Longitude
147.3272

Key Sky Quality Metrics

SQM (mag/arcsec²)
18.75
Bortle class
Class 8 (Class 8)
Darkness Quotient
30%
Dataset
April 2026

City sky

Hobart: The Practical Verdict

Hobart, a small city in Australia, offers a sky affected by high light pollution. Observing conditions are poor within the city, with only the brightest celestial targets visible. The most notable limitation here is the lack of Milky Way visibility due to the bright urban sky.

In these conditions, the best visual and imaging opportunities focus on objects like the Moon, planets, bright stars, and double stars. Fainter targets such as deep-sky objects and meteor showers are significantly impaired. The eastern horizon tends to be brighter, while skies to the west offer slightly cleaner views, though not enough to drastically improve visibility.

For stargazers seeking darker skies, Alonnah, located about 45 km to the south, presents a substantial upgrade with a markedly darker environment and visibility of many deep-sky objects. This makes it a worthwhile short trip for better astronomical experiences.

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
Alonnah, Tasmania sits about 45 km south and reaches Bortle 2, roughly 15x darker.
Good dark window
Hobart'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 Hobart?

No. Hobart is a Bortle Class 8 sky with SQM 18.75, 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 Hobart?

Hobart is Bortle Class 8 (SQM 18.75), a poor city sky for astronomy.

Is Hobart good for stargazing?

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

Is Hobart good for astrophotography?

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

What can you observe from Hobart?

Primary targets from Hobart 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 Hobart?

The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Dunalley, Tasmania, about 38 km east of Hobart, reaching Bortle 4.

When is the sky darkest in Hobart?

The sky over Hobart is darkest around June, July.

Is light pollution in Hobart getting better or worse?

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

north - good

The north horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.

north-north-east - good

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

north-east - good

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

east-north-east - fair

The east-north-east sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.

east - good

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

east-south-east - excellent

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

south-east - excellent

The south-east horizon is fully dark. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground and the Milky Way reaches the horizon on clear nights.

south-south-east - excellent

No artificial glow on the south-south-east horizon. Faint deep-sky objects in this direction are accessible at low elevation.

south - good

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

south-south-west - good

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

south-west - excellent

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

west-south-west - excellent

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

west - excellent

The west horizon is fully dark. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground and the Milky Way reaches the horizon on clear nights.

west-north-west - excellent

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

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.

  • Alonnah, Tasmania
    Direction
    S
    Distance (km)
    45
    SQM
    21.72
    Bortle
    2
  • Premaydena, Tasmania
    Direction
    ESE
    Distance (km)
    41.8
    SQM
    21.49
    Bortle
    3
  • Dunalley, Tasmania
    Direction
    E
    Distance (km)
    38.1
    SQM
    21.18
    Bortle
    4
  • Kellevie, Tasmania
    Direction
    ENE
    Distance (km)
    40.4
    SQM
    21.08
    Bortle
    4
  • Raminea, Tasmania
    Direction
    SSW
    Distance (km)
    55.6
    SQM
    21.58
    Bortle
    3
  • Southwest, Tasmania
    Direction
    WSW
    Distance (km)
    65.3
    SQM
    21.69
    Bortle
    3