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)
- 19.06
- Bortle class
- Class 7 (Class 7)
- Darkness Quotient
- 34%
- Dataset
- July 2026
Suburban/urban transition
Lincoln: The Practical Verdict
Lincoln, nestled in Lincolnshire, offers more suburban than starlit skies. The stargazing here is hampered by high light pollution, rendering it a generally poor location for astronomical observation. This level of light pollution severely limits the visibility of any celestial spectacle, with the Milky Way entirely absent.
What can be realistically observed are the Moon, planets, and bright double stars. For those keen on imaging, narrowband techniques will still enable some success with emission nebulae, provided one exercises considerable care in processing. However, faint galaxies and deep-sky observations are best avoided due to the substantial urban light intrusion.
For those seeking deeper skies, a short drive to Donington on Bain towards the east north-east offers significant improvement, with Bortle Class 4 skies making it viable for more serious deep-sky pursuits.
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
- Donington on Bain sits about 29 km east north east and reaches Bortle 4, roughly 7.7x 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 19.06, 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 19.06), 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 Wharton, about 24 km north north 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?
There is not yet enough long-term data to give a confident trend for Lincoln.
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.
-
Donington on Bain
- Direction
- ENE
- Distance (km)
- 28.8
- SQM
- 21.27
- Bortle
- 4
-
Moorby
- Direction
- ESE
- Distance (km)
- 31.5
- SQM
- 21.14
- Bortle
- 4
-
Wharton
- Direction
- NNW
- Distance (km)
- 24.1
- SQM
- 20.67
- Bortle
- 5
-
Warter
- Direction
- SSW
- Distance (km)
- 80.9
- SQM
- 20.66
- Bortle
- 5
-
Ring's End
- Direction
- SSE
- Distance (km)
- 81.9
- SQM
- 20.66
- Bortle
- 5
-
East Tuddenham
- Direction
- ESE
- Distance (km)
- 126
- SQM
- 21.23
- Bortle
- 4