Colorado Springs Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Colorado Springs
- City
- Colorado Springs
- Country
- United States
- Latitude
- 38.8339
- Longitude
- -104.8214
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 18.45
- Bortle class
- Class 8 (Class 8)
- Darkness Quotient
- 27%
- Dataset
- April 2026
City sky
Colorado Springs: The Practical Verdict
Colorado Springs, located in central Colorado, is a mid-size city with significant urban brightness. Stargazing conditions are poor overall, classified under high light pollution, and the Milky Way is entirely erased from view.
From this location, only the brightest celestial objects like the Moon, planets, and double stars stand out against the bright sky. Deep-sky objects, faint nebulae, and meteor showers are best avoided due to the overwhelming light pollution.
For markedly better stargazing, the sky quality improves substantially to the south-west in Archuleta County, around 260 km away. This site, with Bortle 3 conditions, offers a significant escape for deep-sky observation.
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
- Archuleta County, Colorado sits about 257 km south west and reaches Bortle 3, roughly 17x darker.
- Good dark window
- Colorado Springs'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 Colorado Springs?
No. Colorado Springs is a Bortle Class 8 sky with SQM 18.45, 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 Colorado Springs?
Colorado Springs is Bortle Class 8 (SQM 18.45), a poor city sky for astronomy.
Is Colorado Springs good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Colorado Springs is a poor city sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Colorado Springs good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Colorado Springs and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Colorado Springs without careful processing.
What can you observe from Colorado Springs?
Primary targets from Colorado Springs 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 Colorado Springs?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is South State Highway 83, Colorado, about 44 km north of Colorado Springs, reaching Bortle 6.
When is the sky darkest in Colorado Springs?
The sky over Colorado Springs is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in Colorado Springs getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Colorado Springs has been broadly stable across the available measurements.
north - fair
A trace of skyglow near the north horizon. Stars are clear throughout this direction except very close to the ground.
north-north-east - fair
Light glow detectable on the north-north-east horizon. The effect fades quickly with elevation and does not affect overhead work.
north-east - fair
A trace of skyglow near the north-east horizon. Stars are clear throughout this direction except very close to the ground.
east-north-east - fair
The east-north-east sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
east - good
Dark sky in the east direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
east-south-east - good
The east-south-east horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
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 - good
The south-south-east sky is dark to the horizon. Faint targets are accessible at all elevations here.
south - good
Dark sky in the south direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
south-south-west - good
Dark sky in the south-south-west direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
south-west - good
The south-west horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
west-south-west - good
No noticeable light pollution to the west-south-west. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
west - good
No noticeable light pollution to the west. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
west-north-west - good
The west-north-west horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
north-west - good
Dark sky in the north-west direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
north-north-west - good
The north-north-west horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
zenith - marginal
The zenith is brighter than natural. The Milky Way cannot be seen and faint deep-sky objects are not accessible.
-
South State Highway 83, Colorado
- Direction
- N
- Distance (km)
- 44
- SQM
- 20.23
- Bortle
- 6
-
Archuleta County, Colorado
- Direction
- SW
- Distance (km)
- 257.1
- SQM
- 21.55
- Bortle
- 3
-
Baca County, Colorado
- Direction
- SE
- Distance (km)
- 237.5
- SQM
- 21.19
- Bortle
- 4