Dallas Stargazing & Astronomy Report

Light pollution and stargazing locations near Dallas

City
Dallas
Country
United States
Latitude
32.7767
Longitude
-96.7970

Key Sky Quality Metrics

SQM (mag/arcsec²)
17.04
Bortle class
Class 9 (Class 9)
Darkness Quotient
16%
Dataset
April 2026

Inner city sky

Dallas: The Practical Verdict

Dallas is a dense urban centre in Texas, where extreme light pollution dominates the sky. Observing conditions are severely impaired, placing this location in the category of a severe urban sky.

From Dallas, the Moon and planets remain visible alongside the brightest stars and double stars. Some narrowband imaging might work here, but most forms of astrophotography and visual deep-sky exploration are not practical due to the overwhelming light pollution.

For improvement, County Road 171 to the south offers a better sky with noticeably reduced light pollution. This site represents a modest upgrade, making bright clusters and narrowband targets more viable.

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
Limited nearby upgrade
County Road 171, Texas is the strongest nearby option but remains Bortle 5; the improvement is real but modest.
Good dark window
Dallas'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 Dallas?

No. Dallas is a Bortle Class 9 sky with SQM 17.04, 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 Dallas?

Dallas is Bortle Class 9 (SQM 17.04), a severe urban sky for astronomy.

Is Dallas good for stargazing?

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

Is Dallas good for astrophotography?

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

What can you observe from Dallas?

Primary targets from Dallas 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 Dallas?

The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Van Zandt County, Texas, about 99 km east south east of Dallas, reaching Bortle 6.

When is the sky darkest in Dallas?

The sky over Dallas is darkest around January, December.

Is light pollution in Dallas getting better or worse?

There is not yet enough long-term data to give a confident trend for Dallas.

north - poor

A bright dome of skyglow sits on the north horizon. Faint stars are suppressed up to roughly 25 degrees elevation.

north-north-east - poor

Strong artificial brightening to the north-north-east. Faint and mid-brightness stars near the horizon are absent.

north-east - poor

A bright dome of skyglow sits on the north-east horizon. Faint stars are suppressed up to roughly 25 degrees elevation.

east-north-east - poor

Strong artificial brightening to the east-north-east. Faint and mid-brightness stars near the horizon are absent.

east - poor

The east horizon is bright with artificial light. Only stars brighter than magnitude 3 are visible at low elevation.

east-south-east - marginal

A soft but obvious glow marks the east-south-east horizon. The lowest 15-20 degrees of sky in this direction are degraded.

south-east - marginal

A soft but obvious glow marks the south-east horizon. The lowest 15-20 degrees of sky in this direction are degraded.

south-south-east - marginal

Moderate brightening on the south-south-east horizon. Star counts at low elevation here are reduced.

south - marginal

Moderate brightening on the south horizon. Star counts at low elevation here are reduced.

south-south-west - poor

Strong artificial brightening to the south-south-west. Faint and mid-brightness stars near the horizon are absent.

south-west - poor

The south-west horizon is bright with artificial light. Only stars brighter than magnitude 3 are visible at low elevation.

west-south-west - marginal

Moderate brightening on the west-south-west horizon. Star counts at low elevation here are reduced.

west - poor

A bright dome of skyglow sits on the west horizon. Faint stars are suppressed up to roughly 25 degrees elevation.

west-north-west - poor

Bright skyglow dominates the lower west-north-west sky. This direction is not suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.

north-west - poor

Significant glow on the north-west horizon. Avoid this direction for objects below 30 degrees elevation.

north-north-west - poor

Bright skyglow dominates the lower north-north-west sky. This direction is not suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.

zenith - poor

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

  • Van Zandt County, Texas
    Direction
    ESE
    Distance (km)
    99
    SQM
    20.07
    Bortle
    6
  • County Road 171, Texas
    Direction
    S
    Distance (km)
    139.8
    SQM
    20.58
    Bortle
    5
  • Flo, Texas
    Direction
    SSE
    Distance (km)
    174.4
    SQM
    20.54
    Bortle
    5
  • Atoka County, Oklahoma
    Direction
    NNE
    Distance (km)
    160.9
    SQM
    20.14
    Bortle
    6
  • Bois D Arcade Road, Oklahoma
    Direction
    NNW
    Distance (km)
    216
    SQM
    20.42
    Bortle
    5