Luxor Stargazing & Astronomy Report

Key Sky Quality Metrics

SQM (mag/arcsec²)

18.25

Bortle class

Class 8 (Class 8)

Darkness Quotient

25%

Dataset

May 2026

City sky

Luxor: The Practical Verdict

Luxor is a mid-sized city in Egypt, surrounded by vast deserts yet grappling with high light pollution levels. The overall sky quality here is quite poor for astronomy, with a Bortle Class 8 sky rendering the Milky Way invisible. The dense urban light severely restricts the range of celestial objects viewable without special equipment.

From Luxor, observations are generally limited to the Moon, planets, bright stars, and solar system events. Most deep-sky objects, such as faint nebulae and galaxies, become extremely challenging, if not impossible, to observe visually. The brightest nebulae and clusters can be targets for imaging with narrowband filters, though attention is required to avoid overwhelming sky backgrounds.

For those looking to escape Luxor’s significant light dome, the Red Sea offers substantially darker skies. Positioned about 190 km to the east south-east, it provides a Bortle 3 sky, which is a considerable upgrade for serious astronomical pursuits.

At a Glance

Overall

Poor city sky - This is a poor city sky. The Milky Way is not visible and most deep-sky observing is unrealistic from the location itself.

Milky Way

Not visible - The Milky Way is erased by the bright urban sky background.

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

Red Sea sits about 189 km east south east and reaches Bortle 3, roughly 21x darker.

Good dark window

Luxor'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 Luxor?

No. Luxor is a Bortle Class 8 sky with SQM 18.25, 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 Luxor?

Luxor is Bortle Class 8 (SQM 18.25), a poor city sky for astronomy.

Is Luxor good for stargazing?

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

Is Luxor good for astrophotography?

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

What can you observe from Luxor?

Primary targets from Luxor 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 Luxor?

The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Qena, about 86 km east north east of Luxor, reaching Bortle 4.

When is the sky darkest in Luxor?

The sky over Luxor is darkest around January, December.

Is light pollution in Luxor getting better or worse?

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

• Qena

  Direction

  ENE

  Distance (km)

  85.5

  SQM

  21.22

  Bortle

  4

• Red Sea

  Direction

  E

  Distance (km)

  100.1

  SQM

  21.04

  Bortle

  4

• Red Sea

  Direction

  ENE

  Distance (km)

  120.6

  SQM

  20.42

  Bortle

  5

• Red Sea

  Direction

  ESE

  Distance (km)

  189.3

  SQM

  21.53

  Bortle

  3