Lewisville Stargazing & Astronomy Report

Key Sky Quality Metrics

SQM (mag/arcsec²)

17.85

Bortle class

Class 9 (Class 9)

Darkness Quotient

22%

Dataset

April 2026

Inner city sky

Lewisville: The Practical Verdict

Lewisville, a suburban small city in Texas, falls under high light pollution conditions. The sky is firmly in Bortle Class 9 territory, offering a severe urban sky where deep-sky observing is heavily compromised.

The Milky Way is completely obscured here, limiting visual stargazing to bright celestial objects such as the Moon, planets, and double stars. Narrowband imaging is possible with care, but broadband deep-sky imaging suffers significantly from sky gradients.

For those seeking darker skies, a reasonable upgrade can be found at County Road 4550, about 195 km east, where conditions improve to Bortle Class 5. While not dramatically better, it offers meaningful relief from the pervasive urban glow.

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 4550, Texas is the strongest nearby option but remains Bortle 5; the improvement is real but modest.

Good dark window

Lewisville'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 Lewisville?

No. Lewisville is a Bortle Class 9 sky with SQM 17.85, 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 Lewisville?

Lewisville is Bortle Class 9 (SQM 17.85), a severe urban sky for astronomy.

Is Lewisville good for stargazing?

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

Is Lewisville good for astrophotography?

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

What can you observe from Lewisville?

Primary targets from Lewisville 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 Lewisville?

The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Stoneburg, Texas, about 107 km north west of Lewisville, reaching Bortle 6.

When is the sky darkest in Lewisville?

The sky over Lewisville is darkest around January, December.

Is light pollution in Lewisville getting better or worse?

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

• Stoneburg, Texas

  Direction

  NW

  Distance (km)

  107

  SQM

  19.73

  Bortle

  6

• County Road 4550, Texas

  Direction

  E

  Distance (km)

  192.8

  SQM

  20.73

  Bortle

  5

• Bosque County, Texas

  Direction

  SSW

  Distance (km)

  138.6

  SQM

  19.76

  Bortle

  6