Manaus Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Manaus
- City
- Manaus
- Country
- Brazil
- Latitude
- -3.1190
- Longitude
- -60.0217
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 17.67
- Bortle class
- Class 9 (Class 9)
- Darkness Quotient
- 20%
- Dataset
- August 2026
Inner city sky
Manaus: The Practical Verdict
Manaus is a major city in Brazil, deeply embedded in the dense urban setting of the region. Astronomically, the overall sky quality from within Manaus is poor, with severe urban sky conditions predominating. The extreme light pollution here obscures most of the night sky, making the Milky Way entirely invisible.
From this location, stargazers will find that only bright objects like the Moon, planets, and bright stars are easily visible. Astronomical observations that require more sensitive detection, such as visual deep-sky targets, are largely impractical. However, narrowband imaging on select bright nebulae still remains feasible with careful attention to technique.
For those seeking clearer skies, a substantial upgrade can be found near Borba, Amazonas, approximately 275 km to the south-south-east. This site offers Bortle 2 skies and is well worth the drive for a richer deep-sky observing experience.
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
- Borba, Amazonas sits about 273 km south south east and reaches Bortle 2, roughly 42x darker.
- Good dark window
- Manaus 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 Manaus?
No. Manaus is a Bortle Class 9 sky with SQM 17.67, 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 Manaus?
Manaus is Bortle Class 9 (SQM 17.67), a severe urban sky for astronomy.
Is Manaus good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Manaus is a severe urban sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Manaus good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Manaus and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Manaus without careful processing.
What can you observe from Manaus?
Primary targets from Manaus 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 Manaus?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is 72 km WSW, about 72 km west south west of Manaus, reaching Bortle 6.
When is the sky darkest in Manaus?
The sky over Manaus is darkest around April, August.
Is light pollution in Manaus getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Manaus has been broadly stable across the available measurements.
north - marginal
Moderate brightening on the north horizon. Star counts at low elevation here are reduced.
north-north-east - marginal
Moderate brightening on the north-north-east horizon. Star counts at low elevation here are reduced.
north-east - marginal
Moderate brightening on the north-east horizon. Star counts at low elevation here are reduced.
east-north-east - marginal
Moderate brightening on the east-north-east horizon. Star counts at low elevation here are reduced.
east - fair
The east horizon is mostly dark with a hint of light pollution. Faint stars are accessible above about 10 degrees.
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
No visible glow on the south-east horizon. Stars are clear down to low elevation in this direction.
south-south-east - good
Clean horizon to the south-south-east. Star counts remain high near the ground.
south - good
The south sky shows no obvious glow at ground level. Faint stars are clear at low elevation.
south-south-west - good
The south-south-west horizon is free of artificial brightening. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground.
south-west - fair
Mild brightening on the south-west horizon. Faint stars at the very lowest elevation are dimmed; otherwise unaffected.
west-south-west - fair
Mild brightening on the west-south-west horizon. Faint stars at the very lowest elevation are dimmed; otherwise unaffected.
west - good
Clean, dark sky to the west. No visible artificial light source affects this quarter.
west-north-west - fair
The west-north-west horizon is mostly dark with a hint of light pollution. Faint stars are accessible above about 10 degrees.
north-west - fair
The north-west horizon is mostly dark with a hint of light pollution. Faint stars are accessible above about 10 degrees.
north-north-west - marginal
Persistent skyglow on the north-north-west horizon. Faint stars near the ground in this direction are lost.
zenith - poor
Heavy skyglow overhead. A few dozen stars and the brightest planets are accessible to the naked eye.
-
72 km WSW
- Direction
- WSW
- Distance (km)
- 72.1
- SQM
- 19.96
- Bortle
- 6
-
Manicoré, Amazonas
- Direction
- SSW
- Distance (km)
- 252.5
- SQM
- 21.71
- Bortle
- 2
-
Borba, Amazonas
- Direction
- SSE
- Distance (km)
- 272.5
- SQM
- 21.72
- Bortle
- 2
-
Caapiranga, Amazonas
- Direction
- W
- Distance (km)
- 254.4
- SQM
- 21.29
- Bortle
- 4
-
252 km SSW
- Direction
- SSW
- Distance (km)
- 252.4
- SQM
- 21.24
- Bortle
- 4
-
275 km ESE
- Direction
- ESE
- Distance (km)
- 274.7
- SQM
- 21.60
- Bortle
- 3