Montgomery Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Montgomery
- City
- Montgomery
- Country
- United States
- Latitude
- 32.3668
- Longitude
- -86.3000
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 18.07
- Bortle class
- Class 8 (Class 8)
- Darkness Quotient
- 24%
- Dataset
- August 2026
City sky
Montgomery: The Practical Verdict
Montgomery is a mid-size city located in Alabama. Unfortunately, it suffers from high light pollution, making it a poor location for stargazing. The most significant limitation is the bright urban sky erasing most stars, including the Milky Way.
From Montgomery, you can easily view the Moon and planets, with the brightest stars and solar system events providing some interest. However, visual deep-sky observing and wide-field Milky Way photography are not feasible here. Narrowband imaging is possible but requires careful handling due to sky brightness.
For serious deep-sky observing, a trip to Blue Springs, Alabama, about 110 km to the south-east, is highly recommended. This location offers a Bortle 4 sky, where the difference is substantial—15 times darker than Montgomery's polluted skies.
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
- Blue Springs, Alabama sits about 112 km south east and reaches Bortle 4, roughly 16x darker.
- Good dark window
- Montgomery'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 Montgomery?
No. Montgomery is a Bortle Class 8 sky with SQM 18.07, 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 Montgomery?
Montgomery is Bortle Class 8 (SQM 18.07), a poor city sky for astronomy.
Is Montgomery good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Montgomery is a poor city sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Montgomery good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Montgomery and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Montgomery without careful processing.
What can you observe from Montgomery?
Primary targets from Montgomery 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 Montgomery?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is County Road 29, Alabama, about 44 km east of Montgomery, reaching Bortle 6.
When is the sky darkest in Montgomery?
The sky over Montgomery is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in Montgomery getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Montgomery has been broadly stable across the available measurements.
north - good
Clean horizon to the north. Star counts remain high near the ground.
north-north-east - good
Clean horizon to the north-north-east. Star counts remain high near the ground.
north-east - fair
Subtle skyglow on the north-east horizon. Faint stars below about 10 degrees here are slightly suppressed.
east-north-east - fair
Mild brightening on the east-north-east horizon. Faint stars at the very lowest elevation are dimmed; otherwise unaffected.
east - marginal
A soft but obvious glow marks the east horizon. The lowest 15-20 degrees of sky in this direction are degraded.
east-south-east - fair
A small artificial brightening near the east-south-east horizon. Star counts in this direction remain high above the lowest elevations.
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
No visible glow on the south-south-east horizon. Stars are clear down to low elevation in this direction.
south - good
The south horizon is free of artificial brightening. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground.
south-south-west - good
Clean horizon to the south-south-west. Star counts remain high near the ground.
south-west - good
Clean horizon to the south-west. Star counts remain high near the ground.
west-south-west - good
No visible glow on the west-south-west horizon. Stars are clear down to low elevation in this direction.
west - good
No visible glow on the west horizon. Stars are clear down to low elevation in this direction.
west-north-west - fair
Subtle skyglow on the west-north-west horizon. Faint stars below about 10 degrees here are slightly suppressed.
north-west - marginal
Persistent skyglow on the north-west horizon. Faint stars near the ground in this direction are lost.
north-north-west - fair
Subtle skyglow on the north-north-west horizon. Faint stars below about 10 degrees here are slightly suppressed.
zenith - marginal
Significant skyglow at the zenith. The fainter half of most constellations is missing.
-
County Road 29, Alabama
- Direction
- E
- Distance (km)
- 43.5
- SQM
- 20.20
- Bortle
- 6
-
Coosa County, Alabama
- Direction
- S
- Distance (km)
- 69.8
- SQM
- 20.60
- Bortle
- 5
-
Blue Springs, Alabama
- Direction
- SE
- Distance (km)
- 111.6
- SQM
- 21.07
- Bortle
- 4
-
County Road 847, Alabama
- Direction
- NE
- Distance (km)
- 108.4
- SQM
- 20.75
- Bortle
- 5
-
Lindsey Loop, Alabama
- Direction
- S
- Distance (km)
- 105.7
- SQM
- 20.51
- Bortle
- 5
-
Quitman County, Georgia
- Direction
- ESE
- Distance (km)
- 134.3
- SQM
- 21.13
- Bortle
- 4