Sioux Falls Stargazing & Astronomy Report

Light pollution and stargazing locations near Sioux Falls

City
Sioux Falls
Country
United States
Latitude
43.5473
Longitude
-96.7283

Key Sky Quality Metrics

SQM (mag/arcsec²)
17.92
Bortle class
Class 9 (Class 9)
Darkness Quotient
22%
Dataset
August 2026

Inner city sky

Sioux Falls: The Practical Verdict

Sioux Falls, a small city in South Dakota, is beset with high light pollution, rendering its urban sky not particularly favorable for astronomical observations. The sky is classified as having severe urban light interference, with the Milky Way not visible at all. From here, visual observing should focus on the Moon, bright planets, and double stars, with narrowband imaging demanding extra care.

Targets are severely limited to bright celestial objects. While the Moon and planets remain striking, more ambitious astronomers should steer clear of faint nebulae, broadband galaxies, and most meteor showers due to the intense light pollution. The cleanest views are towards the north-north-east, while the south-south-west is considerably brighter.

Going for darker skies, County Road 10 in Minnesota, around a two-hour drive to the north-east, offers a significant upgrade to Bortle Class 3 conditions, providing a genuinely improved environment for those aiming to observe deep-sky objects.

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
County Road 10, Minnesota sits about 83 km north east and reaches Bortle 3, roughly 23x darker.
Good dark window
Sioux Falls'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 Sioux Falls?

No. Sioux Falls is a Bortle Class 9 sky with SQM 17.92, 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 Sioux Falls?

Sioux Falls is Bortle Class 9 (SQM 17.92), a severe urban sky for astronomy.

Is Sioux Falls good for stargazing?

Not for serious deep-sky observing. Sioux Falls is a severe urban sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.

Is Sioux Falls good for astrophotography?

Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Sioux Falls and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Sioux Falls without careful processing.

What can you observe from Sioux Falls?

Primary targets from Sioux Falls 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 Sioux Falls?

The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Mapleton Township, South Dakota, about 11 km south west of Sioux Falls, reaching Bortle 7.

When is the sky darkest in Sioux Falls?

The sky over Sioux Falls is darkest around January, December.

Is light pollution in Sioux Falls getting better or worse?

Long-term light pollution over Sioux Falls has been broadly stable across the available measurements.

north - good

The north sky shows no obvious glow at ground level. Faint stars are clear at low elevation.

north-north-east - good

Clean horizon to the north-north-east. Star counts remain high near the ground.

north-east - good

No visible glow on the north-east horizon. Stars are clear down to low elevation in this direction.

east-north-east - fair

Mild brightening on the east-north-east horizon. Faint stars at the very lowest elevation are dimmed; otherwise unaffected.

east - good

Clean, dark sky to the east. No visible artificial light source affects this quarter.

east-south-east - good

Clean, dark sky to the east-south-east. No visible artificial light source affects this quarter.

south-east - good

The south-east sky shows no obvious glow at ground level. Faint stars are clear at low elevation.

south-south-east - good

No visible glow on the south-south-east horizon. Stars are clear down to low elevation in this direction.

south - good

Clean, dark sky to the south. No visible artificial light source affects this quarter.

south-south-west - fair

Mild brightening on the south-south-west horizon. Faint stars at the very lowest elevation are dimmed; otherwise unaffected.

south-west - good

Clean, dark sky to the south-west. No visible artificial light source affects this quarter.

west-south-west - good

The west-south-west horizon is free of artificial brightening. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground.

west - good

No visible glow on the west horizon. Stars are clear down to low elevation in this direction.

west-north-west - good

Clean, dark sky to the west-north-west. No visible artificial light source affects this quarter.

north-west - good

Clean horizon to the north-west. Star counts remain high near the ground.

north-north-west - good

The north-north-west horizon is free of artificial brightening. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground.

zenith - poor

Heavy artificial brightening overhead. Limit visual work to bright stars, planets, and the Moon.

  • Springwater Township, Minnesota
    Direction
    ENE
    Distance (km)
    29.1
    SQM
    20.37
    Bortle
    5
  • Mapleton Township, South Dakota
    Direction
    SW
    Distance (km)
    10.6
    SQM
    19.53
    Bortle
    7
  • 170th Street, Iowa
    Direction
    ESE
    Distance (km)
    30.1
    SQM
    20.10
    Bortle
    6
  • County Road 10, Minnesota
    Direction
    NE
    Distance (km)
    82.7
    SQM
    21.32
    Bortle
    3
  • Petersburg Township, Minnesota
    Direction
    E
    Distance (km)
    146.2
    SQM
    21.37
    Bortle
    3
  • 270th Street, Minnesota
    Direction
    NNE
    Distance (km)
    168.4
    SQM
    21.45
    Bortle
    3