Wae Rebo Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Wae Rebo
- City
- Wae Rebo
- Country
- Indonesia
- Latitude
- -8.7693
- Longitude
- 120.2840
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 21.80
- Bortle class
- Class 2 (Class 2)
- Darkness Quotient
- 93%
- Dataset
- August 2026
Typical truly dark site
Wae Rebo: The Practical Verdict
Wae Rebo, nestled in the remote region of East Nusa Tenggara, is a remote dark site with exceptionally strong astronomical conditions. With a pristine dark sky classification, this location offers a very strong dark sky for stargazing enthusiasts.
The Milky Way should be a stunning sight from Wae Rebo, showcasing visible structures and stark contrasts on moonless nights. This is an ideal place for observing galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters, as well as for engaging in broadband imaging and widefield nightscape photography. Visibility of very low-altitude targets might be challenging due to typical horizon clutter, but the sky's general quality supports deep-sky observations.
There is no need to seek out darker skies, as Wae Rebo already provides one of the best stargazing setups in the area. The location itself offers comprehensive opportunities for both visual and imaging activities, making it unnecessary to look elsewhere for darker sites.
At a Glance
- Overall
- Very strong dark sky - This is a very strong dark-sky location where the Milky Way, faint stars, nebulae, and galaxies are realistically accessible.
- Milky Way
- Clearly visible - The Milky Way should be prominent on moonless nights, with visible structure and strong contrast.
- Best targets from here
- Milky Way, galaxies, nebulae, globular clusters, open clusters, meteor showers
- Do not prioritise
- none due to light pollution alone
- Already a strong sky
- Wae Rebo is already a strong astronomy location. There is no obvious reason to travel for a darker sky.
- Long dark window
- Wae Rebo retains astronomical darkness throughout the year, so seasonality is less extreme than at higher latitudes. The main limitation is light pollution, not the length of the dark window.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you see the Milky Way from Wae Rebo?
Yes. Wae Rebo reaches Bortle 2, dark enough that the Milky Way is clearly visible on clear, moonless nights.
What Bortle class is Wae Rebo?
Wae Rebo is Bortle Class 2 (SQM 21.80), a very strong dark sky for astronomy.
Is Wae Rebo good for stargazing?
Yes. Wae Rebo is a very strong dark sky and supports serious stargazing including deep-sky observing.
Is Wae Rebo good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is realistic from Wae Rebo. Narrowband imaging of bright emission nebulae remains viable from Wae Rebo with appropriate Ha or OIII filters.
What can you observe from Wae Rebo?
Primary targets from Wae Rebo include Milky Way, galaxies, nebulae, globular clusters, open clusters. Targets such as none due to light pollution alone are not realistic from this sky.
Where are darker skies near Wae Rebo?
No meaningfully darker mapped site was found within the search radius around Wae Rebo.
When is the sky darkest in Wae Rebo?
The sky over Wae Rebo is darkest around May, June.
Is light pollution in Wae Rebo getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Wae Rebo has been broadly stable across the available measurements.
north - excellent
Dark sky to the north horizon. The Milky Way can be traced to the ground in this direction.
north-north-east - excellent
No artificial glow on the north-north-east horizon. Faint deep-sky objects in this direction are accessible at low elevation.
north-east - excellent
The north-east horizon is fully dark. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground and the Milky Way reaches the horizon on clear nights.
east-north-east - excellent
No artificial glow on the east-north-east horizon. Faint deep-sky objects in this direction are accessible at low elevation.
east - excellent
Dark sky to the east horizon. The Milky Way can be traced to the ground in this direction.
east-south-east - excellent
Clean, fully dark horizon to the east-south-east. Star counts remain high right down to the ground.
south-east - excellent
The south-east horizon is dark to the unaided eye. Faint stars are visible at the lowest elevations.
south-south-east - excellent
The south-south-east horizon is dark to the unaided eye. Faint stars are visible at the lowest elevations.
south - excellent
Clean, fully dark horizon to the south. Star counts remain high right down to the ground.
south-south-west - excellent
No artificial glow on the south-south-west horizon. Faint deep-sky objects in this direction are accessible at low elevation.
south-west - excellent
No artificial glow on the south-west horizon. Faint deep-sky objects in this direction are accessible at low elevation.
west-south-west - excellent
The west-south-west horizon is dark to the unaided eye. Faint stars are visible at the lowest elevations.
west - excellent
Clean, fully dark horizon to the west. Star counts remain high right down to the ground.
west-north-west - excellent
The west-north-west horizon is fully dark. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground and the Milky Way reaches the horizon on clear nights.
north-west - excellent
Dark sky to the north-west horizon. The Milky Way can be traced to the ground in this direction.
north-north-west - excellent
The north-north-west horizon is fully dark. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground and the Milky Way reaches the horizon on clear nights.
zenith - excellent
Dark sky overhead with the Milky Way clearly structured. Limiting magnitude is around 6.5 on transparent nights.
-
Borik, East Nusa Tenggara
- Direction
- SSW
- Distance (km)
- 5
- SQM
- 21.82
- Bortle
- 2
-
Padira Tana, East Nusa Tenggara
- Direction
- SSW
- Distance (km)
- 109.5
- SQM
- 21.84
- Bortle
- 2
-
Lanamai, East Nusa Tenggara
- Direction
- ENE
- Distance (km)
- 69.4
- SQM
- 21.82
- Bortle
- 2