Malang Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Malang
- City
- Malang
- Country
- Indonesia
- Latitude
- -7.9771
- Longitude
- 112.6340
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 18.78
- Bortle class
- Class 8 (Class 8)
- Darkness Quotient
- 31%
- Dataset
- August 2026
City sky
Malang: The Practical Verdict
Malang is a mid-sized town in East Java, Indonesia, with a high light pollution environment. Despite being a smaller settlement, the skies over Malang retain a bright urban glow that severely limits the quality of celestial observation. The Milky Way is entirely obscured by this brightness.
From here, bright objects such as the Moon, planets, and double stars are the most practical targets, although careful narrowband imaging can yield results. Faint objects like deep-sky nebulas and galaxies are virtually invisible due to the light pollution.
For those seeking a slightly better viewing experience, places like Selok Awar Awar, towards the east south-east and about 70 km away, offer minor improvements in darkness. However, even there, the uplift in visibility is modest.
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
- Limited nearby upgrade
- Selok Awar Awar, East Java is the strongest nearby option but remains Bortle 5; the improvement is real but modest.
- Long dark window
- Malang retains astronomical darkness throughout the year, so seasonality is less extreme than at higher latitudes. The main limitation is light pollution, not the length of the dark window.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you see the Milky Way from Malang?
No. Malang is a Bortle Class 8 sky with SQM 18.78, 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 Malang?
Malang is Bortle Class 8 (SQM 18.78), a poor city sky for astronomy.
Is Malang good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Malang is a poor city sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Malang good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Malang and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Malang without careful processing.
What can you observe from Malang?
Primary targets from Malang 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 Malang?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Sumberkotes, East Java, about 28 km south south east of Malang, reaching Bortle 5.
When is the sky darkest in Malang?
The sky over Malang is darkest around May, October.
Is light pollution in Malang getting better or worse?
The long-term trend for Malang is gradually worsening, with the sky brightening by about 0.05 SQM per year.
north - good
The north sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
north-north-east - fair
The north-north-east sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
north-east - good
The north-east sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
east-north-east - good
The east-north-east horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
east - good
The east horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
east-south-east - good
No noticeable light pollution to the east-south-east. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
south-east - good
Dark horizon to the south-east. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.
south-south-east - good
The south-south-east sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
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
The south-south-west sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
south-west - good
The south-west horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
west-south-west - good
Dark horizon to the west-south-west. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.
west - good
The west sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
west-north-west - good
The west-north-west sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
north-west - fair
The north-west sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
north-north-west - good
No noticeable light pollution to the north-north-west. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
zenith - marginal
The overhead sky is too bright for faint-object work. Bright stars, planets, and the brighter clusters are accessible.
-
Sumberkotes, East Java
- Direction
- SSE
- Distance (km)
- 28.4
- SQM
- 20.44
- Bortle
- 5
-
Binangun, East Java
- Direction
- SW
- Distance (km)
- 42.4
- SQM
- 20.51
- Bortle
- 5
-
Jimbaran, East Java
- Direction
- NE
- Distance (km)
- 31.8
- SQM
- 20.16
- Bortle
- 6
-
Blitar, East Java
- Direction
- W
- Distance (km)
- 44.8
- SQM
- 20.24
- Bortle
- 6
-
Selok Awar Awar, East Java
- Direction
- ESE
- Distance (km)
- 68.1
- SQM
- 20.75
- Bortle
- 5
-
Kunjorowesi, East Java
- Direction
- ENE
- Distance (km)
- 40.8
- SQM
- 19.61
- Bortle
- 6