Livingston Stargazing & Astronomy Report

Light pollution and stargazing locations near Livingston

City
Livingston
Country
United Kingdom
Latitude
55.8897
Longitude
-3.5218

Key Sky Quality Metrics

SQM (mag/arcsec²)
18.97
Bortle class
Class 7 (Class 7)
Darkness Quotient
33%
Dataset
August 2026

Suburban/urban transition

Livingston: The Practical Verdict

Livingston, a small city in the United Kingdom, is significantly influenced by the light dome of nearby Edinburgh, especially towards the east-north-east. The sky quality here is poor for astronomy. The Milky Way is not visible, and most deep-sky observing is unfeasible from this location.

Observationally, Livingston's sky best supports viewing the Moon, bright planets, and select bright double stars and open clusters. Narrowband imaging is possible but requires effort and careful processing. Targets like extended nebulae, galaxies, and the Milky Way are out of reach due to high light pollution.

For a significant improvement, consider heading to Clachan-Seil, approximately 130 km west north west. This site offers much darker skies, making it suitable for 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
Clachan-Seil sits about 132 km west north west and reaches Bortle 2, roughly 14x darker.
Moderate dark window
Livingston's limiting factor is not only light pollution. Around midsummer, Livingston 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 Livingston?

No. Livingston is a Bortle Class 7 sky with SQM 18.97, 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 Livingston?

Livingston is Bortle Class 7 (SQM 18.97), a poor urban/suburban sky for astronomy.

Is Livingston good for stargazing?

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

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

What can you observe from Livingston?

Primary targets from Livingston 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 Livingston?

The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Greenlawdean, about 65 km east south east of Livingston, reaching Bortle 4.

When is the sky darkest in Livingston?

The sky over Livingston is darkest around January, December. Major high-latitude limitation: around 96 nights per year have no true astronomical darkness.

Is light pollution in Livingston getting better or worse?

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

north - good

The north horizon is free of artificial brightening. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground.

north-north-east - fair

A small artificial brightening near the north-north-east horizon. Star counts in this direction remain high above the lowest elevations.

north-east - fair

Mild brightening on the north-east horizon. Faint stars at the very lowest elevation are dimmed; otherwise unaffected.

east-north-east - marginal

Moderate brightening on the east-north-east horizon. Star counts at low elevation here are reduced.

east - good

The east horizon is free of artificial brightening. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground.

east-south-east - good

No visible glow on the east-south-east horizon. Stars are clear down to low elevation in this direction.

south-east - good

Clean, dark sky to the south-east. No visible artificial light source affects this quarter.

south-south-east - good

The south-south-east sky shows no obvious glow at ground level. Faint stars are clear at low elevation.

south - good

The south sky shows no obvious glow at ground level. Faint stars are clear at low elevation.

south-south-west - good

Clean, dark sky to the south-south-west. No visible artificial light source affects this quarter.

south-west - good

No visible glow on the south-west horizon. Stars are clear down to low elevation in this direction.

west-south-west - good

Clean horizon to the west-south-west. Star counts remain high near the ground.

west - good

The west sky shows no obvious glow at ground level. Faint stars are clear at low elevation.

west-north-west - good

The west-north-west sky shows no obvious glow at ground level. Faint stars are clear at low elevation.

north-west - fair

Subtle skyglow on the north-west horizon. Faint stars below about 10 degrees here are slightly suppressed.

north-north-west - fair

The north-north-west horizon shows a slight brightening. Workable for most targets above about 10 degrees elevation.

zenith - marginal

Light pollution affects most of the overhead sky. Star counts are a fraction of a dark site.

  • Greenlawdean
    Direction
    ESE
    Distance (km)
    65.1
    SQM
    21.25
    Bortle
    4
  • Ae
    Direction
    S
    Distance (km)
    79.4
    SQM
    21.30
    Bortle
    4
  • Dumfries and Galloway
    Direction
    SW
    Distance (km)
    82.8
    SQM
    21.24
    Bortle
    4
  • Cock
    Direction
    W
    Distance (km)
    111.7
    SQM
    21.61
    Bortle
    3
  • Clachan-Seil
    Direction
    WNW
    Distance (km)
    132.4
    SQM
    21.80
    Bortle
    2
  • Henshaw
    Direction
    SE
    Distance (km)
    111.6
    SQM
    21.09
    Bortle
    4