Reno Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Reno
- City
- Reno
- Country
- United States
- Latitude
- 39.5296
- Longitude
- -119.8138
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 17.77
- Bortle class
- Class 9 (Class 9)
- Darkness Quotient
- 21%
- Dataset
- July 2026
Inner city sky
Reno: The Practical Verdict
Reno is a mid-size city in the western United States, with suburban settings contributing to high light pollution levels. The city's sky is classified under the severe urban category, making it challenging for stargazing. The primary limitation here is the dense light dome that suppresses all but the brightest celestial objects.
From Reno, you can readily observe the Moon, planets, and bright stars. Double stars and solar system events are also accessible, though narrowband imaging must be approached cautiously. Attempts at visual deep-sky observing will be frustrated, as will broadband galaxy imaging.
For those seeking a significantly better sky, consider travelling about 65 km west-south-west to a site offering Bortle class 3 conditions. This upgrade presents a dramatically enhanced environment for deep-sky observations.
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
- 63 km WSW sits about 63 km west south west and reaches Bortle 3, roughly 26x darker.
- Good dark window
- Reno'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 Reno?
No. Reno is a Bortle Class 9 sky with SQM 17.77, 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 Reno?
Reno is Bortle Class 9 (SQM 17.77), a severe urban sky for astronomy.
Is Reno good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Reno is a severe urban sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Reno good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Reno and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Reno without careful processing.
What can you observe from Reno?
Primary targets from Reno 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 Reno?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is 63 km WSW, about 63 km west south west of Reno, reaching Bortle 3.
When is the sky darkest in Reno?
The sky over Reno is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in Reno getting better or worse?
There is not yet enough long-term data to give a confident trend for Reno.
north - good
The north horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
north-north-east - good
No noticeable light pollution to the north-north-east. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
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
Dark horizon to the east-north-east. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.
east - good
The east sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
east-south-east - good
Dark sky in the east-south-east direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
south-east - good
No noticeable light pollution to the south-east. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
south-south-east - fair
The south-south-east sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
south - good
The south sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
south-south-west - good
No noticeable light pollution to the south-south-west. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
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
No noticeable light pollution to the west-south-west. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
west - good
Dark sky in the west direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
west-north-west - good
Dark sky in the west-north-west direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
north-west - good
The north-west sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
north-north-west - fair
Light glow detectable on the north-north-west horizon. The effect fades quickly with elevation and does not affect overhead work.
zenith - poor
The overhead sky is conspicuously pale. Stars brighter than magnitude 3 are visible; fainter ones are lost.
-
63 km WSW
- Direction
- WSW
- Distance (km)
- 62.5
- SQM
- 21.30
- Bortle
- 3
-
84 km SW
- Direction
- SW
- Distance (km)
- 84
- SQM
- 20.91
- Bortle
- 4
-
129 km S
- Direction
- S
- Distance (km)
- 128.7
- SQM
- 20.76
- Bortle
- 5
-
217 km W
- Direction
- W
- Distance (km)
- 217
- SQM
- 21.24
- Bortle
- 4
-
253 km NNW
- Direction
- NNW
- Distance (km)
- 252.5
- SQM
- 21.75
- Bortle
- 2