Launceston Stargazing & Astronomy Report

Light pollution and stargazing locations near Launceston

City
Launceston
Country
Australia
Latitude
-41.4332
Longitude
147.1441

Key Sky Quality Metrics

SQM (mag/arcsec²)
19.09
Bortle class
Class 7 (Class 7)
Darkness Quotient
34%
Dataset
May 2026

Suburban/urban transition

Launceston: The Practical Verdict

Launceston, a small city in Tasmania, offers an urban/suburban transition sky that is rather poor for stargazing, impacted significantly by high light pollution. As a result, the night sky here is rated as Bortle Class 7, rendering it unsuitable for deep-sky viewing, and with the Milky Way largely invisible.

From within Launceston, observers will find the Moon, planets, and bright double stars the most notable sights, with bright open clusters and narrowband imaging feasible but requiring careful processing. The brighter glare to the south-south-east does reduce visibility slightly in that direction, with more clarity to the north-east.

For those willing to travel, Legerwood to the east-north-east, about 55 km away, offers significantly improved sky conditions. It features Bortle Class 2 skies, which are considerably darker and allow for more in-depth observations.

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
Legerwood, Tasmania sits about 55 km east north east and reaches Bortle 2, roughly 11x darker.
Good dark window
Launceston'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 Launceston?

No. Launceston is a Bortle Class 7 sky with SQM 19.09, 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 Launceston?

Launceston is Bortle Class 7 (SQM 19.09), a poor urban/suburban sky for astronomy.

Is Launceston good for stargazing?

Not for serious deep-sky observing. Launceston 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 Launceston good for astrophotography?

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

What can you observe from Launceston?

Primary targets from Launceston 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 Launceston?

The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Retreat, Tasmania, about 29 km east north east of Launceston, reaching Bortle 3.

When is the sky darkest in Launceston?

The sky over Launceston is darkest around June, July.

Is light pollution in Launceston getting better or worse?

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

north - excellent

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

north-north-east - excellent

The north-north-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.

north-east - excellent

Clean, fully dark horizon to the north-east. Star counts remain high right down to the ground.

east-north-east - excellent

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

east - excellent

Clean, fully dark horizon to the east. Star counts remain high right down to the ground.

east-south-east - excellent

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

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 - good

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

south - good

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

south-south-west - excellent

The south-south-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.

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

Clean, fully dark horizon to the west-south-west. Star counts remain high right down to the ground.

west - excellent

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

west-north-west - excellent

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

north-west - excellent

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

north-north-west - excellent

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

zenith - fair

Overhead is brighter than natural but still usable. The Milky Way is absent; brighter Messier objects remain accessible.

  • Retreat, Tasmania
    Direction
    ENE
    Distance (km)
    28.5
    SQM
    21.52
    Bortle
    3
  • Nabowla, Tasmania
    Direction
    NNE
    Distance (km)
    35.2
    SQM
    21.57
    Bortle
    3
  • Sidmouth, Tasmania
    Direction
    NW
    Distance (km)
    30.9
    SQM
    21.12
    Bortle
    4
  • Legerwood, Tasmania
    Direction
    ENE
    Distance (km)
    55
    SQM
    21.73
    Bortle
    2
  • Rossarden, Tasmania
    Direction
    ESE
    Distance (km)
    55.4
    SQM
    21.71
    Bortle
    2
  • Arm Road, Tasmania
    Direction
    WSW
    Distance (km)
    88.8
    SQM
    21.73
    Bortle
    2