Lincoln Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Lincoln
- City
- Lincoln
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Latitude
- 53.2307
- Longitude
- -0.5406
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 19.00
- Bortle class
- Class 7 (Class 7)
- Darkness Quotient
- 33%
- Dataset
- August 2026
Suburban/urban transition
Lincoln: The Practical Verdict
Lincoln is a small city in Lincolnshire, surrounded by suburban landscapes. The overall stargazing quality here is poor due to high light pollution, rendering the skies less favourable for most astronomical activities. High light pollution curtails the visibility of faint celestial objects, with the Milky Way completely obscured.
In Lincoln, the brightest visible targets include the Moon, planets, and bright double stars. Bright open clusters are also manageable. However, deep-sky exploring and broadband galaxy imaging are better left to more conducive locations. The south-west horizon is notably brighter, while the east-north-east offers the clearest views.
For those seeking significantly darker skies, Belchford, about 30 km to the east, provides a Bortle 4 sky and a more rewarding stargazing experience. It's worth the drive if serious deep-sky observation is on the agenda.
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
- Belchford sits about 30 km east and reaches Bortle 4, roughly 7.6x darker.
- Moderate dark window
- Lincoln's limiting factor is not only light pollution. Around midsummer, Lincoln 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 Lincoln?
No. Lincoln is a Bortle Class 7 sky with SQM 19.00, 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 Lincoln?
Lincoln is Bortle Class 7 (SQM 19.00), a poor urban/suburban sky for astronomy.
Is Lincoln good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Lincoln 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 Lincoln good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Lincoln and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Narrowband imaging of bright emission nebulae remains viable from Lincoln with appropriate Ha or OIII filters.
What can you observe from Lincoln?
Primary targets from Lincoln 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 Lincoln?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Gilby, about 25 km west south west of Lincoln, reaching Bortle 5.
When is the sky darkest in Lincoln?
The sky over Lincoln is darkest around January, December. Significant summer limitation: around 76 nights per year have no true astronomical darkness.
Is light pollution in Lincoln getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Lincoln has been broadly stable across the available measurements.
north - excellent
The north 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-north-east - excellent
Clean, fully dark horizon to the north-north-east. Star counts remain high right down to the ground.
north-east - excellent
The north-east horizon is dark to the unaided eye. Faint stars are visible at the lowest elevations.
east-north-east - excellent
Dark sky to the east-north-east horizon. The Milky Way can be traced to the ground in this direction.
east - excellent
Dark sky to the east horizon. The Milky Way can be traced to the ground in this direction.
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
Dark sky to the south-east horizon. The Milky Way can be traced to the ground in this direction.
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
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 - good
Dark sky in the south-west direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
west-south-west - good
The west-south-west horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
west - good
Dark sky in the west direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
west-north-west - good
Dark sky in the west-north-west direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
north-west - good
Dark horizon to the north-west. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.
north-north-west - excellent
The north-north-west horizon is dark to the unaided eye. Faint stars are visible at the lowest elevations.
zenith - fair
Limiting magnitude around 4.5 at the zenith. Bright deep-sky objects are accessible; the Milky Way is not.
-
Belchford
- Direction
- E
- Distance (km)
- 30.4
- SQM
- 21.20
- Bortle
- 4
-
Reedham
- Direction
- ESE
- Distance (km)
- 28.9
- SQM
- 21.04
- Bortle
- 4
-
Ludford
- Direction
- NE
- Distance (km)
- 28.4
- SQM
- 20.81
- Bortle
- 4
-
Gilby
- Direction
- WSW
- Distance (km)
- 25.3
- SQM
- 20.66
- Bortle
- 5
-
Warsop
- Direction
- W
- Distance (km)
- 39.6
- SQM
- 20.35
- Bortle
- 5
-
Stathern
- Direction
- SW
- Distance (km)
- 43.9
- SQM
- 20.24
- Bortle
- 6