Shreveport Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Shreveport
- City
- Shreveport
- Country
- United States
- Latitude
- 32.5252
- Longitude
- -93.7502
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 18.25
- Bortle class
- Class 8 (Class 8)
- Darkness Quotient
- 25%
- Dataset
- May 2026
City sky
Shreveport: The Practical Verdict
Shreveport is a mid-size city in the United States, characterised by suburban light pollution. Unfortunately, its skies are poor for astronomy due to high light pollution levels. The Milky Way is completely erased by the urban sky background, limiting deep-sky visibility.
What the sky in Shreveport offers is limited to bright targets such as the Moon, planets, bright stars, and double stars. Solar system events are observable, and narrowband imaging is possible with care. Attempting visual deep-sky observing or widefield Milky Way photography will be unrewarding, as faint nebulae and most broadband galaxies are essentially invisible.
For those seeking darker skies, Hays Road in Arkansas, located about 165 km to the north-east, offers a meaningfully improved experience with a Bortle 4 rating. It's worth the trip for more serious deep-sky observing.
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
- Hays Road, Arkansas sits about 164 km north east and reaches Bortle 4, roughly 12x darker.
- Good dark window
- Shreveport'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 Shreveport?
No. Shreveport 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 Shreveport?
Shreveport is Bortle Class 8 (SQM 18.25), a poor city sky for astronomy.
Is Shreveport good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Shreveport is a poor city sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Shreveport good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Shreveport and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Shreveport without careful processing.
What can you observe from Shreveport?
Primary targets from Shreveport 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 Shreveport?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Jonesville, Texas, about 35 km west of Shreveport, reaching Bortle 6.
When is the sky darkest in Shreveport?
The sky over Shreveport is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in Shreveport getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Shreveport has been broadly stable across the available measurements.
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 - good
No noticeable light pollution to the north-east. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
east-north-east - fair
A faint diffuse glow on the east-north-east horizon. Stars are visible to low elevation, with minor losses near the ground.
east - fair
Light glow detectable on the east horizon. The effect fades quickly with elevation and does not affect overhead work.
east-south-east - good
The east-south-east sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
south-east - fair
Light glow detectable on the south-east horizon. The effect fades quickly with elevation and does not affect overhead work.
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 - marginal
Soft skyglow visible on the south horizon. Mid-brightness stars survive at low elevation; the faintest do not.
south-south-west - marginal
The south-south-west sky shows a clear glow near the ground. Above about 20 degrees the sky returns to workable.
south-west - fair
Faint glow on the south-west horizon. Most stars are visible to low elevation; only the faintest near the ground are affected.
west-south-west - fair
The west-south-west sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
west - good
The west horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
west-north-west - good
Dark horizon to the west-north-west. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.
north-west - good
Dark horizon to the north-west. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.
north-north-west - good
Dark horizon to the north-north-west. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.
zenith - marginal
The overhead sky background is high. Bright stars and planets are clear; faint stars are suppressed.
-
Jonesville, Texas
- Direction
- W
- Distance (km)
- 34.9
- SQM
- 20.04
- Bortle
- 6
-
Cass County, Texas
- Direction
- NNW
- Distance (km)
- 63.7
- SQM
- 20.76
- Bortle
- 5
-
Haynesville, Louisiana
- Direction
- ENE
- Distance (km)
- 74.9
- SQM
- 19.95
- Bortle
- 6
-
Little Mound, Texas
- Direction
- W
- Distance (km)
- 131.3
- SQM
- 20.61
- Bortle
- 5
-
Hays Road, Arkansas
- Direction
- NE
- Distance (km)
- 164.2
- SQM
- 20.96
- Bortle
- 4
-
Hudson Chapel, Texas
- Direction
- WSW
- Distance (km)
- 161.9
- SQM
- 20.82
- Bortle
- 4