Pompano Beach Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Pompano Beach
- City
- Pompano Beach
- Country
- United States
- Latitude
- 26.2379
- Longitude
- -80.1248
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 17.67
- Bortle class
- Class 9 (Class 9)
- Darkness Quotient
- 20%
- Dataset
- July 2026
Inner city sky
Pompano Beach: The Practical Verdict
Pompano Beach, a small city in Florida, offers limited astronomical opportunities due to extreme light pollution. The urban sky here is heavily affected by light from nearby Fort Lauderdale to the south, making the Milky Way invisible. Stargazing here primarily involves the brightest objects like the Moon and planets.
From this location, you'll find the best options are observing solar system events and the brightest stars. Attempts to view faint deep-sky objects will be met with disappointment, as the sky does not support such activities. Looking east offers slightly cleaner skies, though still very limited.
For those serious about deep-sky observing, the best nearby upgrade is about 175 km to the east-north-east. This location provides a much darker sky and is worth considering for a dedicated astronomy outing.
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
- 177 km ENE sits about 177 km east north east and reaches Bortle 3, roughly 36x darker.
- Good dark window
- Pompano Beach'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 Pompano Beach?
No. Pompano Beach is a Bortle Class 9 sky with SQM 17.67, 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 Pompano Beach?
Pompano Beach is Bortle Class 9 (SQM 17.67), a severe urban sky for astronomy.
Is Pompano Beach good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Pompano Beach is a severe urban sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Pompano Beach good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Pompano Beach and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Pompano Beach without careful processing.
What can you observe from Pompano Beach?
Primary targets from Pompano Beach 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 Pompano Beach?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is 93 km W, about 93 km west of Pompano Beach, reaching Bortle 5.
When is the sky darkest in Pompano Beach?
The sky over Pompano Beach is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in Pompano Beach getting better or worse?
There is not yet enough long-term data to give a confident trend for Pompano Beach.
north - poor
Heavy light pollution to the north. The lower 30 degrees of sky in this direction are unusable for faint targets.
north-north-east - marginal
A diffuse glow sits on the north-north-east horizon. Faint objects below 20 degrees in this direction are compromised.
north-east - fair
Faint glow on the north-east horizon. Most stars are visible to low elevation; only the faintest near the ground are affected.
east-north-east - good
No noticeable light pollution to the east-north-east. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
east - good
Dark sky in the east direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
east-south-east - good
Dark horizon to the east-south-east. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.
south-east - fair
A faint diffuse glow on the south-east horizon. Stars are visible to low elevation, with minor losses near the ground.
south-south-east - fair
Light glow detectable on the south-south-east horizon. The effect fades quickly with elevation and does not affect overhead work.
south - poor
The south sky is washed out near the horizon. Most constellation stars in the lower sky here are not visible.
south-south-west - poor
Strong skyglow on the south-south-west horizon. Stars below about 30 degrees in this direction are largely lost.
south-west - poor
The south-west horizon shows a strong orange-white glow. Star counts drop sharply below about 25 degrees here.
west-south-west - poor
The west-south-west sky is washed out near the horizon. Most constellation stars in the lower sky here are not visible.
west - marginal
The west sky shows a clear glow near the ground. Above about 20 degrees the sky returns to workable.
west-north-west - marginal
The west-north-west lower sky is measurably brighter than the darker quarters. Limit faint work to above about 20 degrees here.
north-west - marginal
Soft skyglow visible on the north-west horizon. Mid-brightness stars survive at low elevation; the faintest do not.
north-north-west - marginal
The north-north-west sky shows a clear glow near the ground. Above about 20 degrees the sky returns to workable.
zenith - poor
The overhead sky is washed out by artificial light. Constellation patterns are reduced to their brightest members.
-
93 km W
- Direction
- W
- Distance (km)
- 93.2
- SQM
- 20.41
- Bortle
- 5
-
177 km ENE
- Direction
- ENE
- Distance (km)
- 176.8
- SQM
- 21.57
- Bortle
- 3
-
110 km SW
- Direction
- SW
- Distance (km)
- 110
- SQM
- 19.75
- Bortle
- 6
-
134 km WNW
- Direction
- WNW
- Distance (km)
- 134.1
- SQM
- 19.97
- Bortle
- 6
-
55 km SSE
- Direction
- SSE
- Distance (km)
- 55.4
- SQM
- 18.58
- Bortle
- 8
-
221 km SW
- Direction
- SW
- Distance (km)
- 220.8
- SQM
- 21.46
- Bortle
- 3