Richmond Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Richmond
- City
- Richmond
- Country
- United States
- Latitude
- 37.5407
- Longitude
- -77.4360
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 17.67
- Bortle class
- Class 9 (Class 9)
- Darkness Quotient
- 20%
- Dataset
- July 2026
Inner city sky
Richmond: The Practical Verdict
Richmond, a major city in the United States, presents challenges for stargazing due to severe light pollution. The sky is dominated by urban light, rendering the Milky Way invisible from within the city limits. The overall verdict for astronomy quality is poor.
From this location, your best targets are straightforward: the Moon, planets, bright stars, and double stars. Solar system events can also be fairly reliably observed. However, deep-sky observing is practically impossible, and narrowband imaging should be approached with caution.
For those seeking darker skies around Richmond, a site about 75 km to the east-north-east offers a significant improvement. With a Bortle 4 classification, this location provides a better opportunity for serious deep-sky observing, offering a substantial escape from the urban brightness.
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
- 75 km ENE sits about 75 km east north east and reaches Bortle 4, roughly 22x darker.
- Good dark window
- Richmond'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 Richmond?
No. Richmond 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 Richmond?
Richmond is Bortle Class 9 (SQM 17.67), a severe urban sky for astronomy.
Is Richmond good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Richmond is a severe urban sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Richmond good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Richmond and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Richmond without careful processing.
What can you observe from Richmond?
Primary targets from Richmond 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 Richmond?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is 73 km ESE, about 73 km east south east of Richmond, reaching Bortle 5.
When is the sky darkest in Richmond?
The sky over Richmond is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in Richmond getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Richmond has been broadly stable across the available measurements.
north - fair
Faint glow on the north horizon. Most stars are visible to low elevation; only the faintest near the ground are affected.
north-north-east - fair
Faint glow on the north-north-east horizon. Most stars are visible to low elevation; only the faintest near the ground are affected.
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 - fair
A trace of skyglow near the east horizon. Stars are clear throughout this direction except very close to the ground.
east-south-east - fair
The east-south-east sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
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 - marginal
Soft skyglow visible on the south horizon. Mid-brightness stars survive at low elevation; the faintest do not.
south-south-west - fair
Faint glow on the south-south-west horizon. Most stars are visible to low elevation; only the faintest near the ground are affected.
south-west - fair
Light glow detectable on the south-west horizon. The effect fades quickly with elevation and does not affect overhead work.
west-south-west - fair
A faint diffuse glow on the west-south-west horizon. Stars are visible to low elevation, with minor losses near the ground.
west - fair
The west sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
west-north-west - fair
The west-north-west sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
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 - fair
A trace of skyglow near the north-north-west horizon. Stars are clear throughout this direction except very close to the ground.
zenith - poor
The zenith is bright enough to be obvious without dark adaptation. The Milky Way is not visible.
-
75 km ENE
- Direction
- ENE
- Distance (km)
- 75.4
- SQM
- 21.03
- Bortle
- 4
-
73 km ESE
- Direction
- ESE
- Distance (km)
- 72.9
- SQM
- 20.48
- Bortle
- 5
-
75 km NNE
- Direction
- NNE
- Distance (km)
- 74.7
- SQM
- 20.34
- Bortle
- 5
-
100 km S
- Direction
- S
- Distance (km)
- 100.1
- SQM
- 20.52
- Bortle
- 5
-
147 km E
- Direction
- E
- Distance (km)
- 147.4
- SQM
- 21.23
- Bortle
- 4
-
211 km SSE
- Direction
- SSE
- Distance (km)
- 211.1
- SQM
- 21.21
- Bortle
- 4