Long Beach Stargazing & Astronomy Report

Light pollution and stargazing locations near Long Beach

City
Long Beach
Country
United States
Latitude
33.7701
Longitude
-118.1937

Key Sky Quality Metrics

SQM (mag/arcsec²)
17.34
Bortle class
Class 9 (Class 9)
Darkness Quotient
18%
Dataset
May 2026

Inner city sky

Long Beach: The Practical Verdict

Long Beach, a mid-size city in California, suffers from severe urban sky conditions. Astronomy quality is notably limited, with extreme light pollution dominating the area. The Milky Way is not visible here, having completely vanished under the bright city lights.

From this location, stargazing primarily focuses on bright targets such as the Moon, planets, bright stars, and double stars. Narrowband imaging is feasible with care, but traditional visual deep-sky observing is largely fruitless. The brighter nebulae and clusters might be possible, but only under ideal conditions.

For a genuine stargazing experience, heading towards Ventura County in the west south-west at about 135 km away is recommended. This site offers a significant improvement, with a Bortle 2 sky that is well worth the drive for more serious deep-sky observations.

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
Best nearby upgrade
Ventura County, California sits about 135 km west south west and reaches Bortle 2, roughly 56x darker.
Good dark window
Long Beach'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 Long Beach?

No. Long Beach is a Bortle Class 9 sky with SQM 17.34, 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 Long Beach?

Long Beach is Bortle Class 9 (SQM 17.34), a severe urban sky for astronomy.

Is Long Beach good for stargazing?

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

Is Long Beach good for astrophotography?

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

What can you observe from Long Beach?

Primary targets from Long Beach 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 Long Beach?

The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Upper Cottonwood Road, California, about 49 km south south west of Long Beach, reaching Bortle 4.

When is the sky darkest in Long Beach?

The sky over Long Beach is darkest around January, December.

Is light pollution in Long Beach getting better or worse?

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

north - poor

Heavy light pollution to the north. The lower 30 degrees of sky in this direction are unusable for faint targets.

north-north-east - poor

Heavy light pollution to the north-north-east. The lower 30 degrees of sky in this direction are unusable for faint targets.

north-east - poor

The north-east horizon shows a strong orange-white glow. Star counts drop sharply below about 25 degrees here.

east-north-east - poor

The lower east-north-east sky is heavily light-polluted. Only the brightest stars stand out near the horizon.

east - poor

Strong skyglow on the east horizon. Stars below about 30 degrees in this direction are largely lost.

east-south-east - marginal

Soft skyglow visible on the east-south-east horizon. Mid-brightness stars survive at low elevation; the faintest do not.

south-east - fair

The south-east sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.

south-south-east - fair

Faint glow on the south-south-east horizon. Most stars are visible to low elevation; only the faintest near the ground are affected.

south - fair

The south sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.

south-south-west - fair

A trace of skyglow near the south-south-west horizon. Stars are clear throughout this direction except very close to the ground.

south-west - fair

A faint diffuse glow on the south-west horizon. Stars are visible to low elevation, with minor losses near the ground.

west-south-west - fair

Light glow detectable on the west-south-west horizon. The effect fades quickly with elevation and does not affect overhead work.

west - marginal

Soft skyglow visible on the west horizon. Mid-brightness stars survive at low elevation; the faintest do not.

west-north-west - poor

Heavy light pollution to the west-north-west. The lower 30 degrees of sky in this direction are unusable for faint targets.

north-west - poor

Strong skyglow on the north-west horizon. Stars below about 30 degrees in this direction are largely lost.

north-north-west - poor

The north-north-west sky is washed out near the horizon. Most constellation stars in the lower sky here are not visible.

zenith - poor

The overhead sky is conspicuously pale. Stars brighter than magnitude 3 are visible; fainter ones are lost.

  • Upper Cottonwood Road, California
    Direction
    SSW
    Distance (km)
    48.9
    SQM
    20.81
    Bortle
    4
  • Los Angeles County, California
    Direction
    SSW
    Distance (km)
    101.3
    SQM
    21.64
    Bortle
    3
  • Ventura County, California
    Direction
    WSW
    Distance (km)
    135
    SQM
    21.72
    Bortle
    2
  • Santa Barbara County, California
    Direction
    W
    Distance (km)
    153.3
    SQM
    21.68
    Bortle
    3
  • West Avenue B8, California
    Direction
    WSW
    Distance (km)
    115.1
    SQM
    19.96
    Bortle
    6
  • Milguatay, California
    Direction
    SE
    Distance (km)
    210
    SQM
    20.33
    Bortle
    5