Pembroke Pines Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Pembroke Pines
- City
- Pembroke Pines
- Country
- United States
- Latitude
- 26.0073
- Longitude
- -80.2962
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 17.70
- Bortle class
- Class 9 (Class 9)
- Darkness Quotient
- 21%
- Dataset
- August 2026
Inner city sky
Pembroke Pines: The Practical Verdict
Pembroke Pines, a small city in Florida, is a suburban area located a short distance from the bright lights of Miami. The overall astronomy quality here is poor due to severe urban sky conditions, significantly limiting the visibility of the night sky. The dominant factor here is high light pollution, which prevents any visibility of the Milky Way.
From this location, observers can reasonably expect to see only the brightest celestial objects such as the Moon, planets, and double stars. Attempts at observing deep-sky targets like galaxies or faint nebulae will be largely futile. Narrowband imaging of objects is possible, though care must be taken due to the intense light pollution.
For those seeking darker skies, the best nearby option is West Grand Bahama, located approximately 190 km to the east-north-east. This site offers significantly improved darkness conditions, making it worth the trip for more serious deep-sky observation.
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
- West Grand Bahama sits about 190 km east north east and reaches Bortle 3, roughly 37x darker.
- Good dark window
- Pembroke Pines'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 Pembroke Pines?
No. Pembroke Pines is a Bortle Class 9 sky with SQM 17.70, 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 Pembroke Pines?
Pembroke Pines is Bortle Class 9 (SQM 17.70), a severe urban sky for astronomy.
Is Pembroke Pines good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Pembroke Pines is a severe urban sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Pembroke Pines good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Pembroke Pines and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Pembroke Pines without careful processing.
What can you observe from Pembroke Pines?
Primary targets from Pembroke Pines 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 Pembroke Pines?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Palm Beach County, Florida, about 56 km east south east of Pembroke Pines, reaching Bortle 7.
When is the sky darkest in Pembroke Pines?
The sky over Pembroke Pines is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in Pembroke Pines getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Pembroke Pines has been broadly stable across the available measurements.
north - marginal
The lower north sky is moderately light-polluted. Useful for bright targets above about 20 degrees only.
north-north-east - poor
A bright dome of skyglow sits on the north-north-east horizon. Faint stars are suppressed up to roughly 25 degrees elevation.
north-east - poor
Strong artificial brightening to the north-east. Faint and mid-brightness stars near the horizon are absent.
east-north-east - poor
A bright dome of skyglow sits on the east-north-east horizon. Faint stars are suppressed up to roughly 25 degrees elevation.
east - poor
Bright skyglow dominates the lower east sky. This direction is not suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
east-south-east - poor
Bright skyglow dominates the lower east-south-east sky. This direction is not suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
south-east - poor
A bright dome of skyglow sits on the south-east horizon. Faint stars are suppressed up to roughly 25 degrees elevation.
south-south-east - poor
The south-south-east horizon is bright with artificial light. Only stars brighter than magnitude 3 are visible at low elevation.
south - poor
Significant glow on the south horizon. Avoid this direction for objects below 30 degrees elevation.
south-south-west - poor
A bright dome of skyglow sits on the south-south-west horizon. Faint stars are suppressed up to roughly 25 degrees elevation.
south-west - marginal
Moderate brightening on the south-west horizon. Star counts at low elevation here are reduced.
west-south-west - fair
The west-south-west horizon shows a slight brightening. Workable for most targets above about 10 degrees elevation.
west - fair
The west horizon shows a slight brightening. Workable for most targets above about 10 degrees elevation.
west-north-west - fair
A small artificial brightening near the west-north-west horizon. Star counts in this direction remain high above the lowest elevations.
north-west - marginal
A soft but obvious glow marks the north-west horizon. The lowest 15-20 degrees of sky in this direction are degraded.
north-north-west - marginal
Moderate brightening on the north-north-west horizon. Star counts at low elevation here are reduced.
zenith - poor
Overhead is heavily light-polluted. Only stars brighter than about magnitude 3 are visible.
-
Collier County, Florida
- Direction
- WSW
- Distance (km)
- 73.7
- SQM
- 20.66
- Bortle
- 5
-
Collier County, Florida
- Direction
- WNW
- Distance (km)
- 90.4
- SQM
- 20.32
- Bortle
- 5
-
Monroe County, Florida
- Direction
- SW
- Distance (km)
- 85.8
- SQM
- 20.07
- Bortle
- 6
-
Palm Beach County, Florida
- Direction
- ESE
- Distance (km)
- 55.9
- SQM
- 19.03
- Bortle
- 7
-
West Grand Bahama
- Direction
- ENE
- Distance (km)
- 190
- SQM
- 21.63
- Bortle
- 3
-
Glades County, Florida
- Direction
- NW
- Distance (km)
- 146.3
- SQM
- 20.22
- Bortle
- 6