Mandurah Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Mandurah
- City
- Mandurah
- Country
- Australia
- Latitude
- -32.5258
- Longitude
- 115.7220
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 19.37
- Bortle class
- Class 7 (Class 7)
- Darkness Quotient
- 38%
- Dataset
- July 2026
Suburban/urban transition
Mandurah: The Practical Verdict
Mandurah, a small city in Western Australia, faces challenging stargazing conditions due to high light pollution. The urban/suburban transition here means that the night sky suffers significantly, with many celestial sights lost to the city’s glare. The primary limiting factor is the light dome from nearby Perth, which brightens the north-north-east horizon.
Realistically, the Milky Way is invisible under these conditions. Stargazers should focus on brighter targets such as the Moon, planets, and bright double stars. For those practising narrowband imaging, careful processing can reveal emission nebulae. Avoid attempting broadband galaxy and faint meteor work as the visibility is considerably hampered.
If you're keen on deeper sky observations, Clifton, located about 25 km south-south-west, offers better conditions with a Bortle 3 sky. It's worth the drive for a clearer view and access to a darker sky.
At a Glance
- Overall
- Poor urban/suburban sky - This is a poor sky for astronomy. The Moon, planets, and a few bright objects remain viable, but deep-sky work is difficult.
- Milky Way
- Not visible - The Milky Way is not realistically visible from this level of light pollution.
- Best targets from here
- Moon, planets, bright double stars, bright open clusters, narrowband imaging with careful processing
- Do not prioritise
- visual deep-sky observing, broadband galaxies, reflection nebulae, Milky Way photography
- Best nearby upgrade
- Clifton, Western Australia sits about 27 km south south west and reaches Bortle 3, roughly 6.4x darker.
- Good dark window
- Mandurah's longest dark windows fall in June and July, with the shortest nights around December and January. For deep-sky imaging, winter gives the best combination of long nights and true astronomical darkness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you see the Milky Way from Mandurah?
No. Mandurah is a Bortle Class 7 sky with SQM 19.37, 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 Mandurah?
Mandurah is Bortle Class 7 (SQM 19.37), a poor urban/suburban sky for astronomy.
Is Mandurah good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Mandurah is a poor urban/suburban sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Mandurah good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Mandurah and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Narrowband imaging of bright emission nebulae remains viable from Mandurah with appropriate Ha or OIII filters.
What can you observe from Mandurah?
Primary targets from Mandurah include Moon, planets, bright double stars, bright open clusters, narrowband imaging with careful processing. Targets such as visual deep-sky observing, broadband galaxies, reflection nebulae are not realistic from this sky.
Where are darker skies near Mandurah?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Wannanup, Western Australia, about 10 km south west of Mandurah, reaching Bortle 5.
When is the sky darkest in Mandurah?
The sky over Mandurah is darkest around June, July.
Is light pollution in Mandurah getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Mandurah has been broadly stable across the available measurements.
north - good
No noticeable light pollution to the north. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
north-north-east - good
No noticeable light pollution to the north-north-east. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
north-east - good
The north-east sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
east-north-east - good
Dark sky in the east-north-east direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
east - good
No noticeable light pollution to the east. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
east-south-east - good
The east-south-east horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
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 horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
south - excellent
No artificial glow on the south horizon. Faint deep-sky objects in this direction are accessible at low elevation.
south-south-west - good
The south-south-west sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
south-west - good
The south-west horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
west-south-west - excellent
Dark sky to the west-south-west horizon. The Milky Way can be traced to the ground in this direction.
west - excellent
No artificial glow on the west horizon. Faint deep-sky objects in this direction are accessible at low elevation.
west-north-west - excellent
The west-north-west horizon is dark to the unaided eye. Faint stars are visible at the lowest elevations.
north-west - good
Dark sky in the north-west direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
north-north-west - good
Dark horizon to the north-north-west. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.
zenith - fair
Overhead is brighter than natural but still usable. The Milky Way is absent; brighter Messier objects remain accessible.
-
Clifton, Western Australia
- Direction
- SSW
- Distance (km)
- 26.8
- SQM
- 21.38
- Bortle
- 3
-
Wannanup, Western Australia
- Direction
- SW
- Distance (km)
- 10
- SQM
- 20.44
- Bortle
- 5
-
Karnup, Western Australia
- Direction
- NNE
- Distance (km)
- 10.6
- SQM
- 20.12
- Bortle
- 6
-
Benjinup, Western Australia
- Direction
- SSE
- Distance (km)
- 147.8
- SQM
- 21.58
- Bortle
- 3
-
Osmington, Western Australia
- Direction
- SSW
- Distance (km)
- 160.7
- SQM
- 21.66
- Bortle
- 3