Regina Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Regina
- City
- Regina
- Country
- Canada
- Latitude
- 50.4452
- Longitude
- -104.6189
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 18.25
- Bortle class
- Class 8 (Class 8)
- Darkness Quotient
- 25%
- Dataset
- July 2026
City sky
Regina: The Practical Verdict
Regina, a mid-sized city in Canada, suffers from high light pollution, typical of urban centres. The overall quality of the sky for stargazing from Regina is poor. The glaring sky ensures the Milky Way remains unseen, and the overwhelming brightness is the primary limiting factor.
From this city location, you're mostly confined to observing the Moon, planets, and bright stars. Even bright open clusters demand careful preparation. Deep-sky enthusiasts will find little satisfaction, as most galaxies and faint nebulae are out of reach. The cleanest sky is to the south-south-west, achievable with careful planning.
However, for those prepared to venture further afield, sites offering significantly darker conditions are available. About 245 km to the north-east is a location with a Bortle 2 sky. This is certainly worth the drive if serious deep-sky observing is your goal.
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
- 247 km NE sits about 247 km north east and reaches Bortle 2, roughly 25x darker.
- Moderate dark window
- Regina'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 Regina?
No. Regina is a Bortle Class 8 sky with SQM 18.25, 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 Regina?
Regina is Bortle Class 8 (SQM 18.25), a poor city sky for astronomy.
Is Regina good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Regina is a poor city sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Regina good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Regina and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Regina without careful processing.
What can you observe from Regina?
Primary targets from Regina 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 Regina?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is 82 km SSE, about 82 km south south east of Regina, reaching Bortle 4.
When is the sky darkest in Regina?
The sky over Regina is darkest around January, December. Significant summer limitation: around 47 nights per year have no true astronomical darkness.
Is light pollution in Regina getting better or worse?
There is not yet enough long-term data to give a confident trend for Regina.
north - good
Dark horizon to the north. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.
north-north-east - good
Dark sky in the north-north-east direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
north-east - good
The north-east horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
east-north-east - good
The east-north-east horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
east - fair
A trace of skyglow near the east horizon. Stars are clear throughout this direction except very close to the ground.
east-south-east - good
No noticeable light pollution to the east-south-east. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
south-east - good
No noticeable light pollution to the south-east. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
south-south-east - good
The south-south-east sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
south - good
The south horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
south-south-west - good
Dark sky in the south-south-west direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
south-west - good
Dark horizon to the south-west. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.
west-south-west - good
The west-south-west sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
west - good
Dark sky in the west direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
west-north-west - good
No noticeable light pollution to the west-north-west. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
north-west - good
The north-west sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
north-north-west - good
No noticeable light pollution to the north-north-west. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
zenith - marginal
The zenith sky is clearly elevated above natural levels. Limiting magnitude is around 3.5.
-
82 km SSE
- Direction
- SSE
- Distance (km)
- 81.6
- SQM
- 21.11
- Bortle
- 4
-
113 km E
- Direction
- E
- Distance (km)
- 112.5
- SQM
- 21.53
- Bortle
- 3
-
140 km SE
- Direction
- SE
- Distance (km)
- 139.9
- SQM
- 20.86
- Bortle
- 4
-
247 km NE
- Direction
- NE
- Distance (km)
- 246.9
- SQM
- 21.73
- Bortle
- 2
-
253 km N
- Direction
- N
- Distance (km)
- 252.5
- SQM
- 21.76
- Bortle
- 2