Irving Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Irving
- City
- Irving
- Country
- United States
- Latitude
- 32.8140
- Longitude
- -96.9489
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 17.52
- Bortle class
- Class 9 (Class 9)
- Darkness Quotient
- 19%
- Dataset
- April 2026
Inner city sky
Irving: The Practical Verdict
Irving, located in the suburban landscape of Texas near Dallas, experiences extreme light pollution. The overall sky quality here is classified as a severe urban sky, with limited visibility of celestial targets due to pervasive brightness.
Observers in the area can focus on lunar and planetary viewing alongside bright double stars and solar system events, as these are most practical under such urban light domes. However, any attempts at observing faint targets or significant deep-sky objects will be strongly impeded by the overwhelming skyglow.
For those seeking clearer skies, travelling to County Road 3824 roughly east-south-east of Irving enhances conditions modestly with dark-sky qualities apt for observing brighter deep-sky features.
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
- Limited nearby upgrade
- County Road 3824, Texas is the strongest nearby option but remains Bortle 5; the improvement is real but modest.
- Good dark window
- Irving'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 Irving?
No. Irving is a Bortle Class 9 sky with SQM 17.52, 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 Irving?
Irving is Bortle Class 9 (SQM 17.52), a severe urban sky for astronomy.
Is Irving good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Irving is a severe urban sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Irving good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Irving and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Irving without careful processing.
What can you observe from Irving?
Primary targets from Irving 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 Irving?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is County Road 3824, Texas, about 117 km east south east of Irving, reaching Bortle 5.
When is the sky darkest in Irving?
The sky over Irving is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in Irving getting better or worse?
There is not yet enough long-term data to give a confident trend for Irving.
north - poor
Significant glow on the north horizon. Avoid this direction for objects below 30 degrees elevation.
north-north-east - poor
Significant glow on the north-north-east horizon. Avoid this direction for objects below 30 degrees elevation.
north-east - poor
The north-east horizon is bright with artificial light. Only stars brighter than magnitude 3 are visible at low elevation.
east-north-east - poor
A bright dome of skyglow sits on the east-north-east horizon. Faint stars are suppressed up to roughly 25 degrees elevation.
east - poor
Strong artificial brightening to the east. Faint and mid-brightness stars near the horizon are absent.
east-south-east - poor
Significant glow on the east-south-east horizon. Avoid this direction for objects below 30 degrees elevation.
south-east - poor
Strong artificial brightening to the south-east. Faint and mid-brightness stars near the horizon are absent.
south-south-east - poor
A bright dome of skyglow sits on the south-south-east horizon. Faint stars are suppressed up to roughly 25 degrees elevation.
south - marginal
Persistent skyglow on the south horizon. Faint stars near the ground in this direction are lost.
south-south-west - poor
Significant glow on the south-south-west horizon. Avoid this direction for objects below 30 degrees elevation.
south-west - poor
Bright skyglow dominates the lower south-west sky. This direction is not suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
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
Bright skyglow dominates the lower west sky. This direction is not suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
west-north-west - poor
Significant glow on the west-north-west horizon. Avoid this direction for objects below 30 degrees elevation.
north-west - poor
A bright dome of skyglow sits on the north-west horizon. Faint stars are suppressed up to roughly 25 degrees elevation.
north-north-west - poor
Strong artificial brightening to the north-north-west. Faint and mid-brightness stars near the horizon are absent.
zenith - poor
Heavy skyglow overhead. A few dozen stars and the brightest planets are accessible to the naked eye.
-
County Road 3824, Texas
- Direction
- ESE
- Distance (km)
- 117.3
- SQM
- 20.69
- Bortle
- 5
-
Healdton, Oklahoma
- Direction
- NNW
- Distance (km)
- 161.4
- SQM
- 20.56
- Bortle
- 5
-
Leon County, Texas
- Direction
- SSE
- Distance (km)
- 203.1
- SQM
- 20.32
- Bortle
- 5