San Bernardino Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near San Bernardino
- City
- San Bernardino
- Country
- United States
- Latitude
- 34.1083
- Longitude
- -117.2898
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 17.70
- Bortle class
- Class 9 (Class 9)
- Darkness Quotient
- 21%
- Dataset
- July 2026
Inner city sky
San Bernardino: The Practical Verdict
San Bernardino, a small city in southern California, struggles with significant light pollution due to its suburban setting and proximity to Los Angeles. As a result, the overall sky quality is severely compromised, categorised as Severe urban sky. The combination of urban lighting and Los Angeles' influence renders deep-sky observations virtually impractical.
From within the city, stargazers are limited to observing the Moon, planets, and bright stars or double stars. The Milky Way remains invisible here due to the high level of light pollution. If you’re focusing on photography, narrowband imaging could serve as an option, but everything else from faint nebulae to widefield Milky Way views won't deliver results.
For those seeking broader vistas, Ventura County to the west-south-west, about 225 km away, offers a genuine upgrade with its considerably darker Bortle 3 sky. It's worth considering the drive if you are targeting serious astronomical observation.
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
- Ventura County, California sits about 225 km west south west and reaches Bortle 3, roughly 39x darker.
- Good dark window
- San Bernardino'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 San Bernardino?
No. San Bernardino is a Bortle Class 9 sky with SQM 17.70, 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 San Bernardino?
San Bernardino is Bortle Class 9 (SQM 17.70), a severe urban sky for astronomy.
Is San Bernardino good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. San Bernardino is a severe urban sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is San Bernardino good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from San Bernardino and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from San Bernardino without careful processing.
What can you observe from San Bernardino?
Primary targets from San Bernardino 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 San Bernardino?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Airplane Flat Road, California, about 48 km east of San Bernardino, reaching Bortle 6.
When is the sky darkest in San Bernardino?
The sky over San Bernardino is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in San Bernardino getting better or worse?
There is not yet enough long-term data to give a confident trend for San Bernardino.
north - good
Clean horizon to the north. Star counts remain high near the ground.
north-north-east - good
No visible glow on the north-north-east horizon. Stars are clear down to low elevation in this direction.
north-east - good
No visible glow on the north-east horizon. Stars are clear down to low elevation in this direction.
east-north-east - good
The east-north-east sky shows no obvious glow at ground level. Faint stars are clear at low elevation.
east - fair
The east horizon is mostly dark with a hint of light pollution. Faint stars are accessible above about 10 degrees.
east-south-east - marginal
A soft but obvious glow marks the east-south-east horizon. The lowest 15-20 degrees of sky in this direction are degraded.
south-east - fair
The south-east horizon is mostly dark with a hint of light pollution. Faint stars are accessible above about 10 degrees.
south-south-east - fair
A small artificial brightening near the south-south-east horizon. Star counts in this direction remain high above the lowest elevations.
south - marginal
Moderate brightening on the south horizon. Star counts at low elevation here are reduced.
south-south-west - poor
The south-south-west horizon is bright with artificial light. Only stars brighter than magnitude 3 are visible at low elevation.
south-west - marginal
A soft but obvious glow marks the south-west horizon. The lowest 15-20 degrees of sky in this direction are degraded.
west-south-west - poor
Significant glow on the west-south-west horizon. Avoid this direction for objects below 30 degrees elevation.
west - poor
Bright skyglow dominates the lower west sky. This direction is not suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
west-north-west - marginal
A soft but obvious glow marks the west-north-west horizon. The lowest 15-20 degrees of sky in this direction are degraded.
north-west - fair
Mild brightening on the north-west horizon. Faint stars at the very lowest elevation are dimmed; otherwise unaffected.
north-north-west - fair
Mild brightening on the north-north-west horizon. Faint stars at the very lowest elevation are dimmed; otherwise unaffected.
zenith - poor
Overhead is dominated by skyglow. Only the brightest stars and planets are clear.
-
Airplane Flat Road, California
- Direction
- E
- Distance (km)
- 47.7
- SQM
- 19.83
- Bortle
- 6
-
Piñon Hills, California
- Direction
- NW
- Distance (km)
- 52.3
- SQM
- 19.50
- Bortle
- 7
-
Los Angeles County, California
- Direction
- SW
- Distance (km)
- 172.9
- SQM
- 21.52
- Bortle
- 3
-
Big Springs Ridge Trail, California
- Direction
- WSW
- Distance (km)
- 134.2
- SQM
- 20.31
- Bortle
- 5
-
Ventura County, California
- Direction
- WSW
- Distance (km)
- 225
- SQM
- 21.69
- Bortle
- 3
-
San Bernardino County, California
- Direction
- NE
- Distance (km)
- 177.2
- SQM
- 20.48
- Bortle
- 5