Clearwater Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Clearwater
- City
- Clearwater
- Country
- United States
- Latitude
- 27.9659
- Longitude
- -82.8001
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 18.14
- Bortle class
- Class 8 (Class 8)
- Darkness Quotient
- 24%
- Dataset
- April 2026
City sky
Clearwater: The Practical Verdict
Clearwater, located in Florida, offers a suburban environment with significant light pollution due to its proximity to Tampa approximately 35 km to the east. The overall sky quality here is rated as poor for stargazing, making deep-sky observations particularly challenging. The south-east horizon is the most light-polluted, with the western sky being marginally less affected.
In these conditions, the Moon, planets, and prominent stars are the most feasible targets for observation, with double stars also being viable. Narrowband imaging on select nebulae might yield results, but avoid pursuing faint galaxies or widespread astrophotography, as the high sky brightness swamps these views. Meteor showers and the Milky Way remain out of reach from this location.
For a modest improvement, sites within a two-hour drive, such as Polk County to the east south-east, offer slightly better conditions, achieving Bortle 6 skies. These upgrades can help access a broader range of celestial objects.
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
- Limited nearby upgrade
- Polk County, Florida is the strongest nearby option but remains Bortle 6; the improvement is real but modest.
- Good dark window
- Clearwater'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 Clearwater?
No. Clearwater is a Bortle Class 8 sky with SQM 18.14, 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 Clearwater?
Clearwater is Bortle Class 8 (SQM 18.14), a poor city sky for astronomy.
Is Clearwater good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Clearwater is a poor city sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Clearwater good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Clearwater and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Clearwater without careful processing.
What can you observe from Clearwater?
Primary targets from Clearwater 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 Clearwater?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Sarasota, Florida, about 70 km south south east of Clearwater, reaching Bortle 7.
When is the sky darkest in Clearwater?
The sky over Clearwater is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in Clearwater getting better or worse?
There is not yet enough long-term data to give a confident trend for Clearwater.
north - fair
The north horizon shows a slight brightening. Workable for most targets above about 10 degrees elevation.
north-north-east - marginal
The north-north-east horizon is brighter than natural. Faint stars are suppressed up to roughly 15-20 degrees elevation.
north-east - marginal
A soft but obvious glow marks the north-east horizon. The lowest 15-20 degrees of sky in this direction are degraded.
east-north-east - marginal
Persistent skyglow on the east-north-east horizon. Faint stars near the ground in this direction are lost.
east - fair
A small artificial brightening near the east horizon. Star counts in this direction remain high above the lowest elevations.
east-south-east - marginal
The lower east-south-east sky is moderately light-polluted. Useful for bright targets above about 20 degrees only.
south-east - marginal
Moderate brightening on the south-east horizon. Star counts at low elevation here are reduced.
south-south-east - marginal
A soft but obvious glow marks the south-south-east horizon. The lowest 15-20 degrees of sky in this direction are degraded.
south - marginal
The lower south sky is moderately light-polluted. Useful for bright targets above about 20 degrees only.
south-south-west - fair
The south-south-west horizon shows a slight brightening. Workable for most targets above about 10 degrees elevation.
south-west - good
The south-west sky shows no obvious glow at ground level. Faint stars are clear at low elevation.
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 horizon to the west-north-west. Star counts remain high near the ground.
north-west - good
No visible glow on the north-west horizon. Stars are clear down to low elevation in this direction.
north-north-west - good
Clean horizon to the north-north-west. Star counts remain high near the ground.
zenith - marginal
Strong skyglow overhead. The Milky Way is not visible and faint stars are largely absent.
-
Sweet Gum Road, Florida
- Direction
- NNE
- Distance (km)
- 71.3
- SQM
- 19.79
- Bortle
- 6
-
Polk County, Florida
- Direction
- ESE
- Distance (km)
- 92.3
- SQM
- 20.28
- Bortle
- 6
-
Sarasota, Florida
- Direction
- SSE
- Distance (km)
- 70.4
- SQM
- 19.36
- Bortle
- 7
-
Ruskin, Florida
- Direction
- SE
- Distance (km)
- 41.8
- SQM
- 18.86
- Bortle
- 8
-
Southeast Hing Drive, Florida
- Direction
- SE
- Distance (km)
- 129.8
- SQM
- 20.15
- Bortle
- 6
-
Micco Road, Florida
- Direction
- ESE
- Distance (km)
- 169.7
- SQM
- 20.34
- Bortle
- 5