Baton Rouge Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Baton Rouge
- City
- Baton Rouge
- Country
- United States
- Latitude
- 30.4515
- Longitude
- -91.1871
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 17.48
- Bortle class
- Class 9 (Class 9)
- Darkness Quotient
- 19%
- Dataset
- April 2026
Inner city sky
Baton Rouge: The Practical Verdict
Baton Rouge, situated in Louisiana, is a bustling mid-sized city characterised by its dense urban setting and substantial light pollution. Stargazing conditions here are rated as a severe urban sky, with only the brightest celestial objects visible. The glow of city lights significantly limits the clarity and depth of night-time observations.
From this location, the most practical targets are the Moon, planets, and the brighter stars. Narrowband imaging might yield some results on specific nebular objects, but general deep-sky observing is not advisable due to the pervasive brightness. Meteor showers and widefield Milky Way viewing are effectively ruled out.
Enhanced sky quality can be found by travelling around 120 km south-south-west, where sites like Iberia Parish provide a much darker environment with minimal light intrusion. Such areas are ideal for deeper exploration of celestial phenomena.
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
- Iberia Parish, Louisiana sits about 118 km south south west and reaches Bortle 3, roughly 46x darker.
- Good dark window
- Baton Rouge'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 Baton Rouge?
No. Baton Rouge is a Bortle Class 9 sky with SQM 17.48, 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 Baton Rouge?
Baton Rouge is Bortle Class 9 (SQM 17.48), a severe urban sky for astronomy.
Is Baton Rouge good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Baton Rouge is a severe urban sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Baton Rouge good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Baton Rouge and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Baton Rouge without careful processing.
What can you observe from Baton Rouge?
Primary targets from Baton Rouge 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 Baton Rouge?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, about 66 km south south west of Baton Rouge, reaching Bortle 5.
When is the sky darkest in Baton Rouge?
The sky over Baton Rouge is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in Baton Rouge getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Baton Rouge has been broadly stable across the available measurements.
north - fair
Mild brightening on the north horizon. Faint stars at the very lowest elevation are dimmed; otherwise unaffected.
north-north-east - marginal
Persistent skyglow on the north-north-east horizon. Faint stars near the ground in this direction are lost.
north-east - fair
The north-east horizon shows a slight brightening. Workable for most targets above about 10 degrees elevation.
east-north-east - marginal
The lower east-north-east sky is moderately light-polluted. Useful for bright targets above about 20 degrees only.
east - marginal
The east horizon is brighter than natural. Faint stars are suppressed up to roughly 15-20 degrees elevation.
east-south-east - poor
Bright skyglow dominates the lower east-south-east sky. This direction is not suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
south-east - marginal
Persistent skyglow on the south-east horizon. Faint stars near the ground in this direction are lost.
south-south-east - marginal
Moderate brightening on the south-south-east horizon. Star counts at low elevation here are reduced.
south - fair
Subtle skyglow on the south horizon. Faint stars below about 10 degrees here are slightly suppressed.
south-south-west - poor
Strong artificial brightening to the south-south-west. Faint and mid-brightness stars near the horizon are absent.
south-west - fair
A small artificial brightening near the south-west horizon. Star counts in this direction remain high above the lowest elevations.
west-south-west - good
No visible glow on the west-south-west horizon. Stars are clear down to low elevation in this direction.
west - good
Clean horizon to the west. Star counts remain high near the ground.
west-north-west - good
The west-north-west horizon is free of artificial brightening. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground.
north-west - good
Clean horizon to the north-west. Star counts remain high near the ground.
north-north-west - fair
A small artificial brightening near the north-north-west horizon. Star counts in this direction remain high above the lowest elevations.
zenith - poor
Overhead is dominated by skyglow. Only the brightest stars and planets are clear.
-
St. Mary Parish, Louisiana
- Direction
- SSW
- Distance (km)
- 65.9
- SQM
- 20.35
- Bortle
- 5
-
Iberia Parish, Louisiana
- Direction
- SSW
- Distance (km)
- 117.5
- SQM
- 21.63
- Bortle
- 3
-
Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana
- Direction
- S
- Distance (km)
- 100.6
- SQM
- 20.33
- Bortle
- 5
-
Vermilion Parish, Louisiana
- Direction
- WSW
- Distance (km)
- 138.8
- SQM
- 20.68
- Bortle
- 5
-
East Lincoln, Mississippi
- Direction
- NE
- Distance (km)
- 144.2
- SQM
- 20.82
- Bortle
- 4
-
Cut Off, Louisiana
- Direction
- SE
- Distance (km)
- 128.1
- SQM
- 20.35
- Bortle
- 5