Los Angeles Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Los Angeles
- City
- Los Angeles
- Country
- United States
- Latitude
- 34.0522
- Longitude
- -118.2437
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 17.01
- Bortle class
- Class 9 (Class 9)
- Darkness Quotient
- 16%
- Dataset
- August 2026
Inner city sky
Los Angeles: The Practical Verdict
Los Angeles, a massive urban centre in California, presents challenging conditions for stargazers. The overall sky quality here is severely limited by extreme light pollution, with the Milky Way entirely invisible. This light-heavy environment makes it difficult to observe faint objects, constraining observers to brighter celestial bodies.
From within the city, viewing is largely limited to the Moon, planets, and some bright stars due to the intense light pollution. Attempting to observe deep-sky objects visually is impractical. Instead, narrowband imaging of brighter nebulae and solar system events can be pursued with care. The south-westward sky is the brightest, while looking towards the north offers somewhat cleaner conditions.
For those seeking darker skies, travelling to Santa Barbara County to the west might be worthwhile. There, the sky is significantly darker, allowing for more rewarding deep-sky observations, especially within a Bortle 3 environment.
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
- Santa Barbara County, California sits about 201 km west and reaches Bortle 3, roughly 73x darker.
- Good dark window
- Los Angeles'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 Los Angeles?
No. Los Angeles is a Bortle Class 9 sky with SQM 17.01, 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 Los Angeles?
Los Angeles is Bortle Class 9 (SQM 17.01), a severe urban sky for astronomy.
Is Los Angeles good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Los Angeles is a severe urban sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Los Angeles good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Los Angeles and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Los Angeles without careful processing.
What can you observe from Los Angeles?
Primary targets from Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Andrade Corner, California, about 66 km south south east of Los Angeles, reaching Bortle 6.
When is the sky darkest in Los Angeles?
The sky over Los Angeles is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in Los Angeles getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Los Angeles has been broadly stable across the available measurements.
north - marginal
Noticeable glow on the north horizon. Stars below about 20 degrees in this direction are dimmed.
north-north-east - marginal
The north-north-east lower sky is measurably brighter than the darker quarters. Limit faint work to above about 20 degrees here.
north-east - poor
Heavy light pollution to the north-east. The lower 30 degrees of sky in this direction are unusable for faint targets.
east-north-east - poor
The east-north-east sky is washed out near the horizon. Most constellation stars in the lower sky here are not visible.
east - poor
The east horizon shows a strong orange-white glow. Star counts drop sharply below about 25 degrees here.
east-south-east - poor
Strong skyglow on the east-south-east horizon. Stars below about 30 degrees in this direction are largely lost.
south-east - poor
The south-east horizon shows a strong orange-white glow. Star counts drop sharply below about 25 degrees here.
south-south-east - poor
The lower south-south-east sky is heavily light-polluted. Only the brightest stars stand out near the horizon.
south - poor
Heavy light pollution to the south. The lower 30 degrees of sky in this direction are unusable for faint targets.
south-south-west - poor
The south-south-west horizon shows a strong orange-white glow. Star counts drop sharply below about 25 degrees here.
south-west - poor
Strong skyglow on the south-west horizon. Stars below about 30 degrees in this direction are largely lost.
west-south-west - poor
Heavy light pollution to the west-south-west. The lower 30 degrees of sky in this direction are unusable for faint targets.
west - poor
Strong skyglow on the west horizon. Stars below about 30 degrees in this direction are largely lost.
west-north-west - poor
The lower west-north-west sky is heavily light-polluted. Only the brightest stars stand out near the horizon.
north-west - poor
The north-west sky is washed out near the horizon. Most constellation stars in the lower sky here are not visible.
north-north-west - poor
Strong skyglow on the north-north-west horizon. Stars below about 30 degrees in this direction are largely lost.
zenith - poor
The overhead sky is washed out by artificial light. Constellation patterns are reduced to their brightest members.
-
Middle Ranch, California
- Direction
- S
- Distance (km)
- 77.8
- SQM
- 20.80
- Bortle
- 5
-
Andrade Corner, California
- Direction
- SSE
- Distance (km)
- 66
- SQM
- 19.75
- Bortle
- 6
-
Los Angeles County, California
- Direction
- SSW
- Distance (km)
- 129.1
- SQM
- 21.52
- Bortle
- 3
-
Santa Barbara County, California
- Direction
- W
- Distance (km)
- 145
- SQM
- 21.66
- Bortle
- 3
-
Santa Barbara County, California
- Direction
- W
- Distance (km)
- 201.2
- SQM
- 21.67
- Bortle
- 3
-
San Luis Obispo County, California
- Direction
- NW
- Distance (km)
- 223.7
- SQM
- 20.36
- Bortle
- 5