Nottingham Stargazing & Astronomy Report

Key Sky Quality Metrics

SQM (mag/arcsec²)

18.30

Bortle class

Class 8 (Class 8)

Darkness Quotient

26%

Dataset

July 2026

City sky

Nottingham: The Practical Verdict

Nottingham, a mid-size city in Nottinghamshire, suffers from high light pollution, significantly affecting the quality of stargazing. The city sky here is poor for astronomy, with a Bortle class of 8. The bright urban backdrop almost completely erases the Milky Way.

In such conditions, you will only be able to enjoy observing the Moon, planets, bright stars, and double stars. These are the main targets that pierce through the urban glow. Deep-sky objects and meteors are mostly out of reach. Narrowband imaging could work with care, but broadband imaging will fight against sky gradients.

For a meaningful improvement, consider travelling east to Croft, around a two-hour drive away. Croft offers a Bortle class 4 sky, significantly darker, giving a better chance at deep-sky observing.

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

Croft sits about 96 km east and reaches Bortle 4, roughly 14x darker.

Moderate dark window

Nottingham's limiting factor is not only light pollution. Around midsummer, Nottingham loses true astronomical darkness entirely, so deep-sky observing and imaging are strongly seasonal. Plan serious sessions around the darker months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you see the Milky Way from Nottingham?

No. Nottingham is a Bortle Class 8 sky with SQM 18.30, 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 Nottingham?

Nottingham is Bortle Class 8 (SQM 18.30), a poor city sky for astronomy.

Is Nottingham good for stargazing?

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

Is Nottingham good for astrophotography?

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

What can you observe from Nottingham?

Primary targets from Nottingham 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 Nottingham?

The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is The Bartons, about 33 km east south east of Nottingham, reaching Bortle 6.

When is the sky darkest in Nottingham?

The sky over Nottingham is darkest around January, December. Significant summer limitation: around 73 nights per year have no true astronomical darkness.

Is light pollution in Nottingham getting better or worse?

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

• Cottesmore

  Direction

  SE

  Distance (km)

  41.6

  SQM

  20.69

  Bortle

  5

• The Bartons

  Direction

  ESE

  Distance (km)

  32.8

  SQM

  20.09

  Bortle

  6

• Collow

  Direction

  NE

  Distance (km)

  72.1

  SQM

  20.70

  Bortle

  5

• Lower Elkstone

  Direction

  WNW

  Distance (km)

  52.1

  SQM

  19.97

  Bortle

  6

• Croft

  Direction

  E

  Distance (km)

  96.1

  SQM

  21.15

  Bortle

  4

• Finedon

  Direction

  SSE

  Distance (km)

  76.2

  SQM

  20.11

  Bortle

  6