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)
- 17.85
- Bortle class
- Class 9 (Class 9)
- Darkness Quotient
- 22%
- Dataset
- March 2026
Inner city sky
Stargazing in Regina
Regina is the provincial capital of Saskatchewan, a prairie city in southern Canada known for its open landscapes and big skies.
The city generally experiences High Light Pollution, with a Darkness Quotient of 22% — placing it among the more light-polluted urban locations, though not as overwhelmed as the very brightest global megacities. For practical observing from within the city, the most reliable targets are the Moon, planets, double stars and the brightest open clusters. Fainter deep-sky objects are heavily washed out by the urban glow, and even brighter nebulae or globular clusters tend to be compromised.
The encouraging part is that much darker skies are not extraordinarily far away. A worthwhile improvement begins to the south and south-west within a short drive, while truly dark prairie skies are available roughly 80 to 90 kilometres to the south-east near Near Francis No. 127, Saskatchewan or Near Wellington No. 97, Saskatchewan.
The map shows Regina as a pronounced bright core surrounded by a broad halo of urban skyglow, with the most intense colours concentrated over the city itself. That bright central patch stands out clearly against the darker prairie background, showing how strongly the city's lighting dominates the local night sky.
Beyond the urban glow, the surrounding region darkens fairly quickly compared with many larger metropolitan areas. Large stretches to the north, south and west fall back into darker tones, although there are numerous smaller light domes scattered across the landscape from surrounding settlements.
The south-east side of the map is a little more complicated, with extra clusters of brightness and a broader patch of glow than some other directions. Even so, Regina still appears as the main source of light in the crop, and the overall pattern suggests that once you get properly clear of the city, the wider prairie can offer much darker conditions.
Looking straight up from the city
At the zenith, Regina sits under a very bright urban sky, with a measured value of 17.85 SQM. Looking straight up from within the city, the background sky rarely becomes properly black, and the contrast needed for faint detail is limited.
The brightest constellations and the main seasonal star patterns still come through, but many weaker stars that would normally fill in the shapes are lost. The Moon and planets remain obvious, while the Milky Way is generally overwhelmed from the city itself.
This is the sort of sky where experienced observers can still enjoy compact bright targets, but wide-field naked-eye observing is heavily curtailed by the light dome overhead.
north - fair
About 15 kilometres north of Regina, the sky is already in fair territory, around Bortle 5, so there is a noticeable improvement over the city. Substantially darker skies are reachable farther out, with genuinely dark conditions appearing at roughly 50 kilometres in this direction.
north-north-east - fair
Around 15 kilometres to the north-north-east, conditions are fair at about Bortle 5, making this a respectable quick escape from the city glow. Much darker skies arrive farther on, with genuinely dark conditions reached at roughly 50 kilometres.
north-east - fair
At roughly 15 kilometres to the north-east, the sky improves to fair quality at about Bortle 5. Darker countryside skies come in farther out, with genuinely dark conditions reached at around 50 kilometres.
east-north-east - marginal
Around 15 kilometres east-north-east of Regina, conditions are still only marginal, at about Bortle 6, so urban glow remains quite noticeable. A much better improvement appears farther out, with genuinely dark skies reached at roughly 50 kilometres.
east - poor
About 15 kilometres east of the city, the sky remains poor at around Bortle 7, so this is not one of the strongest directions for a quick trip. It does improve substantially with distance, with genuinely dark skies reached at roughly 50 kilometres.
east-south-east - fair
Around 15 kilometres east-south-east, the sky is fair at about Bortle 5, giving a worthwhile improvement on the city centre. Much darker conditions are available farther out, with genuinely dark skies reached at roughly 50 kilometres in this direction.
south-east - fair
At around 15 kilometres south-east of Regina, conditions are fair at about Bortle 5, so this is already a useful direction for escaping the worst skyglow. Genuinely dark skies follow farther out, at roughly 50 kilometres, and this is also the direction of one of the nearest named dark-sky sites.
south-south-east - fair
Around 15 kilometres to the south-south-east, the sky is fair at about Bortle 5 and clearly better than the city zenith. Properly dark conditions arrive farther out, with genuinely dark skies reached at roughly 50 kilometres.
south - fair
About 15 kilometres south of Regina, the sky is fair at around Bortle 5, making this one of the more promising quick-drive directions. A stronger jump comes quite soon after that, with genuinely dark skies appearing at roughly 25 kilometres.
south-south-west - fair
At roughly 15 kilometres south-south-west, conditions are fair at about Bortle 5, with a clear reduction in city glow compared with central Regina. This direction improves quickly, with genuinely dark skies reached at around 25 kilometres.
south-west - fair
Around 15 kilometres south-west of the city, the sky is fair at about Bortle 5. It becomes properly dark without needing an especially long drive, with genuinely dark conditions reached at roughly 25 kilometres.
west-south-west - fair
About 15 kilometres west-south-west, the sky is fair at around Bortle 5, so this is a decent direction for a quick observing run. Substantially darker skies are available farther out, with genuinely dark conditions reached at roughly 50 kilometres.
west - fair
At around 15 kilometres west of Regina, conditions are fair at about Bortle 5, despite some lingering glow. Better dark-sky territory lies farther on, with genuinely dark skies reached at roughly 50 kilometres.
west-north-west - fair
Around 15 kilometres west-north-west, the sky is fair at about Bortle 5 and noticeably better than in the city. Much darker conditions are available farther out, with genuinely dark skies reached at roughly 50 kilometres.
north-west - fair
About 15 kilometres north-west of Regina, the sky is fair at around Bortle 5, making this a worthwhile short-hop direction. Properly dark skies are reached farther out, at roughly 50 kilometres.
north-north-west - fair
At roughly 15 kilometres north-north-west, conditions are fair at about Bortle 5, with a solid improvement over the city itself. Genuinely dark skies arrive farther out, at around 50 kilometres in this direction.
zenith - poor
Looking straight up from Regina, the zenith is poor, at Bortle 9. The sky background is bright enough to wash out many fainter stars, so familiar constellations remain visible but appear thinned out, and the Milky Way is generally lost against the city glow.
-
Near Bjorkdale No. 426, Saskatchewan
- Direction
- NNE
- Distance (km)
- 264.6
- SQM
- 21.76
- Bortle
- 2
Milky Way, faint nebulae, deep-sky imaging
-
Near Francis No. 127, Saskatchewan
- Direction
- ESE
- Distance (km)
- 78.2
- SQM
- 21.60
- Bortle
- 3
Milky Way visible, broadband DSO imaging
-
Near Wellington No. 97, Saskatchewan
- Direction
- SE
- Distance (km)
- 87.1
- SQM
- 21.60
- Bortle
- 3
Milky Way visible, broadband DSO imaging
Genuinely dark skies are quite accessible from Regina by city standards, rather than requiring an exceptionally long journey.
The nearest strong step up is about 80 to 90 kilometres to the east-south-east or south-east, at Near Francis No. 127, Saskatchewan and Near Wellington No. 97, Saskatchewan, where conditions reach Bortle 3. In several directions, including south and south-west, the sky also improves noticeably within a shorter drive, before becoming truly dark farther out.
-
Within 100 km
- Place
- Near Wellington No. 97, Saskatchewan
- Direction
- SE
- Distance (km)
- 87.1
- SQM
- 21.60
- Bortle
- 3
-
Within 500 km
- Place
- Near Bjorkdale No. 426, Saskatchewan
- Direction
- NNE
- Distance (km)
- 264.6
- SQM
- 21.76
- Bortle
- 2
Long-term trend
Regina's long-term trend is fairly steady rather than dramatically changing. The earliest reading in the series was 17.92 SQM, while the latest is 17.85 SQM, a very slight overall decline in darkness.
Across 76 datasets, the average reading is 18.03 SQM, with values ranging from 17.23 to 18.45 SQM. The trend slope of -0.0097 SQM per year points to a slow brightening over time, but not a sharp one.
In practical terms, that means city-centre observing conditions have remained consistently difficult for faint-sky work. Regina has not moved far from its basic character as a bright urban observing environment.
From within Regina, the best targets are bright, high-contrast ones that can push through the urban glow. The Moon, planets, double stars and the brightest open clusters are the most dependable choices.
A few brighter deep-sky objects can still be attempted with compromises, especially with optical aid and careful timing. Bright showpieces such as M42 or the brightest globular clusters may be possible, but they will not show their best contrast from the city.
For the Milky Way, faint galaxies, broad nebulae and richer meteor watching, a darker site outside Regina makes a dramatic difference. This is a city where even a moderate drive can transform what is realistically visible.
- Moon
- planets
- double stars
- brightest open clusters
- bright nebulae such as M42
- brightest globular clusters
- Milky Way
- faint galaxies
- broadband nebulae
- meteor showers
Can you see stars from Regina?
Yes — you can still see plenty of the brighter stars and the main constellation patterns from Regina. What you lose are many of the fainter stars that would normally make the sky look rich and crowded.
Can you see the Milky Way from Regina?
In most parts of the city, the Milky Way is generally not visible because the sky is too bright. You are much more likely to see it once you get well outside the urban glow.
What Bortle class is Regina?
Regina is Bortle 9 in the city data provided here, which is an inner-city sky. That means severe light pollution and limited contrast for faint deep-sky observing.
What is the SQM reading for Regina?
The reported sky brightness for Regina is 17.85 SQM. That is a bright urban reading, consistent with difficult conditions for faint objects.
Where are the nearest dark skies to Regina?
The nearest named dark-sky options in the supplied data are Near Francis No. 127, Saskatchewan to the east-south-east at 78.2 kilometres, and Near Wellington No. 97, Saskatchewan to the south-east at 87.1 kilometres. Both reach Bortle 3 conditions.
Is Regina good for astrophotography?
It can be good for lunar, planetary and some narrow-field imaging from within the city, especially for bright subjects. For wide-field nightscapes, Milky Way work and faint deep-sky imaging, you will get far better results by heading out to darker prairie skies.
How far do you need to drive from Regina for darker skies?
A noticeable improvement begins within a fairly short drive in several directions, especially to the south and south-west. For one of the nearest named truly dark sites, plan on roughly 80 to 90 kilometres to the east-south-east or south-east.