Leicester Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Leicester
- City
- Leicester
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Latitude
- 52.6369
- Longitude
- -1.1398
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 18.45
- Bortle class
- Class 8 (Class 8)
- Darkness Quotient
- 27%
- Dataset
- August 2026
City sky
Leicester: The Practical Verdict
Leicester is a mid-size city in the City of Leicester region, characterised by typical suburban surroundings. As a city, it faces significant sky brightness, which heavily affects stargazing conditions. The overall sky quality is categorised as poor, with high levels of light pollution obstructing the view of the Milky Way.
In Leicester, the sky is bright enough that high-contrast and simple targets, such as the Moon, planets, bright stars, and double stars, are the most practical to observe. Deep-sky objects like nebulae and galaxies are largely lost, with narrowband imaging offering limited success. The western horizon is notably brighter, while the eastern horizon remains somewhat clearer.
For those seeking slightly improved conditions, Amber Hill CP to the east-north-east offers a modest upgrade, but it is still a considerable distance at around 75 km away. Nearby options can marginally reduce light pollution, yet substantial improvements require more distance.
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
- Limited nearby upgrade
- Amber Hill CP is the strongest nearby option but remains Bortle 5; the improvement is real but modest.
- Moderate dark window
- Leicester's limiting factor is not only light pollution. Around midsummer, Leicester loses true astronomical darkness entirely, so deep-sky observing and imaging are strongly seasonal. Plan serious sessions around the darker months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you see the Milky Way from Leicester?
No. Leicester is a Bortle Class 8 sky with SQM 18.45, 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 Leicester?
Leicester is Bortle Class 8 (SQM 18.45), a poor city sky for astronomy.
Is Leicester good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Leicester is a poor city sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Leicester good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Leicester and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Leicester without careful processing.
What can you observe from Leicester?
Primary targets from Leicester 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 Leicester?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Bunny, about 24 km east south east of Leicester, reaching Bortle 6.
When is the sky darkest in Leicester?
The sky over Leicester is darkest around January, December. Significant summer limitation: around 70 nights per year have no true astronomical darkness.
Is light pollution in Leicester getting better or worse?
The long-term trend for Leicester is gradually improving, with the sky darkening by about 0.04 SQM per year.
north - good
Dark sky in the north direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
north-north-east - good
Dark sky in the north-north-east direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
north-east - good
The north-east sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
east-north-east - good
The east-north-east sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
east - good
The east horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
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 sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
south - good
No noticeable light pollution to the south. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
south-south-west - good
Dark sky in the south-south-west direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
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
The west sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
west-north-west - marginal
The west-north-west lower sky is measurably brighter than the darker quarters. Limit faint work to above about 20 degrees here.
north-west - good
Dark sky in the north-west direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
north-north-west - fair
A faint diffuse glow on the north-north-west horizon. Stars are visible to low elevation, with minor losses near the ground.
zenith - marginal
The zenith sky is clearly elevated above natural levels. Limiting magnitude is around 3.5.
-
Bunny
- Direction
- ESE
- Distance (km)
- 23.8
- SQM
- 19.66
- Bortle
- 6
-
Austrey CP
- Direction
- W
- Distance (km)
- 29.7
- SQM
- 19.75
- Bortle
- 6
-
Amber Hill CP
- Direction
- ENE
- Distance (km)
- 77.2
- SQM
- 20.73
- Bortle
- 5
-
Rampton and Woodbeck
- Direction
- NNE
- Distance (km)
- 77.8
- SQM
- 20.35
- Bortle
- 5
-
Middleton and Smerrill
- Direction
- NNW
- Distance (km)
- 69.5
- SQM
- 19.95
- Bortle
- 6
-
Romsey
- Direction
- ESE
- Distance (km)
- 100.2
- SQM
- 20.54
- Bortle
- 5