Perth Stargazing & Astronomy Report

Light pollution and stargazing locations near Perth

City
Perth
Country
United Kingdom
Latitude
56.3959
Longitude
-3.4310

Key Sky Quality Metrics

SQM (mag/arcsec²)
19.22
Bortle class
Class 7 (Class 7)
Darkness Quotient
36%
Dataset
July 2026

Suburban/urban transition

Perth: The Practical Verdict

Perth, located in the region of Perth and Kinross, is a small city where stargazing faces various difficulties. The overall sky quality leans heavily towards high light pollution, making it a poor urban/suburban environment for astronomy. The Milky Way is not visible due to this high light pollution, limiting deep-sky observations considerably.

From this setting, the Moon, planets, bright double stars, and open clusters remain viable targets, and narrowband imaging with careful processing can yield some results. However, visual deep-sky observing is largely inaccessible, and attempts at broadband galaxy photography or faint meteor work are not recommended.

For those seeking a darker sky, a trip to Glencoe, approximately 105 km to the west north-west, offers a notable improvement. This site provides a substantially clearer sky, suitable for serious deep-sky observing.

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
Glencoe sits about 104 km west north west and reaches Bortle 2, roughly 11x darker.
Moderate dark window
Perth's limiting factor is not only light pollution. Around midsummer, Perth 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 Perth?

No. Perth is a Bortle Class 7 sky with SQM 19.22, 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 Perth?

Perth is Bortle Class 7 (SQM 19.22), a poor urban/suburban sky for astronomy.

Is Perth good for stargazing?

Not for serious deep-sky observing. Perth 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 Perth good for astrophotography?

Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Perth and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Narrowband imaging of bright emission nebulae remains viable from Perth with appropriate Ha or OIII filters.

What can you observe from Perth?

Primary targets from Perth 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 Perth?

The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Scotlandwell, about 20 km south south east of Perth, reaching Bortle 5.

When is the sky darkest in Perth?

The sky over Perth is darkest around January, December. Major high-latitude limitation: around 100 nights per year have no true astronomical darkness.

Is light pollution in Perth getting better or worse?

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

north - excellent

Clean, fully dark horizon to the north. Star counts remain high right down to the ground.

north-north-east - excellent

The north-north-east horizon is dark to the unaided eye. Faint stars are visible at the lowest elevations.

north-east - excellent

No artificial glow on the north-east horizon. Faint deep-sky objects in this direction are accessible at low elevation.

east-north-east - excellent

The east-north-east horizon is fully dark. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground and the Milky Way reaches the horizon on clear nights.

east - excellent

Dark sky to the east horizon. The Milky Way can be traced to the ground in this direction.

east-south-east - excellent

The east-south-east horizon is dark to the unaided eye. Faint stars are visible at the lowest elevations.

south-east - excellent

Clean, fully dark horizon to the south-east. Star counts remain high right down to the ground.

south-south-east - excellent

Clean, fully dark horizon to the south-south-east. Star counts remain high right down to the ground.

south - excellent

The south horizon is dark to the unaided eye. Faint stars are visible at the lowest elevations.

south-south-west - excellent

The south-south-west horizon is dark to the unaided eye. Faint stars are visible at the lowest elevations.

south-west - excellent

The south-west horizon is dark to the unaided eye. Faint stars are visible at the lowest elevations.

west-south-west - excellent

No artificial glow on the west-south-west horizon. Faint deep-sky objects in this direction are accessible at low elevation.

west - excellent

Clean, fully dark horizon to the west. Star counts remain high right down to the ground.

west-north-west - excellent

Dark sky to the west-north-west horizon. The Milky Way can be traced to the ground in this direction.

north-west - excellent

The north-west horizon is fully dark. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground and the Milky Way reaches the horizon on clear nights.

north-north-west - excellent

No artificial glow on the north-north-west horizon. Faint deep-sky objects in this direction are accessible at low elevation.

zenith - fair

Moderate skyglow overhead. Most named constellation stars are visible; the deeper star field is not.

  • Kinloss House
    Direction
    E
    Distance (km)
    21.7
    SQM
    20.98
    Bortle
    4
  • Scotlandwell
    Direction
    SSE
    Distance (km)
    19.5
    SQM
    20.77
    Bortle
    5
  • Drum
    Direction
    SSW
    Distance (km)
    22.8
    SQM
    20.57
    Bortle
    5
  • Gleann nan Caorann
    Direction
    W
    Distance (km)
    83.6
    SQM
    21.65
    Bortle
    3
  • Bellamore Craig
    Direction
    NNE
    Distance (km)
    77.9
    SQM
    21.47
    Bortle
    3
  • Glencoe
    Direction
    WNW
    Distance (km)
    104.4
    SQM
    21.81
    Bortle
    2