Garland Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Garland
- City
- Garland
- Country
- United States
- Latitude
- 32.9126
- Longitude
- -96.6389
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 17.63
- Bortle class
- Class 9 (Class 9)
- Darkness Quotient
- 20%
- Dataset
- April 2026
Inner city sky
Garland: The Practical Verdict
Garland, a small city in Texas, is subject to extreme light pollution from its local setting and proximity to Dallas to the south-west. The overall sky quality is severely compromised, rendering it inadequate for most astronomical activities.
From this location, the Milky Way is completely invisible, while only the brightest celestial objects, such as the Moon, planets, and double stars, are realistically observable. Deep-sky and broadband observations are practically impossible due to the pervasive light pollution.
For enthusiasts seeking meaningful dark-sky conditions, Cabe Road, Texas, around 250 km east-north-east, offers significantly better quality skies for deep-sky objects and general stargazing.
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
- Cabe Road, Texas sits about 252 km east north east and reaches Bortle 4, roughly 25x darker.
- Good dark window
- Garland'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 Garland?
No. Garland is a Bortle Class 9 sky with SQM 17.63, 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 Garland?
Garland is Bortle Class 9 (SQM 17.63), a severe urban sky for astronomy.
Is Garland good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Garland is a severe urban sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Garland good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Garland and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Garland without careful processing.
What can you observe from Garland?
Primary targets from Garland 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 Garland?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is 319, Texas, about 58 km east north east of Garland, reaching Bortle 6.
When is the sky darkest in Garland?
The sky over Garland is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in Garland getting better or worse?
There is not yet enough long-term data to give a confident trend for Garland.
north - marginal
Moderate brightening on the north horizon. Star counts at low elevation here are reduced.
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
The lower north-east sky is moderately light-polluted. Useful for bright targets above about 20 degrees only.
east-north-east - fair
A small artificial brightening near the east-north-east horizon. Star counts in this direction remain high above the lowest elevations.
east - marginal
Persistent skyglow on the east horizon. Faint stars near the ground in this direction are lost.
east-south-east - marginal
Moderate brightening on the east-south-east horizon. Star counts at low elevation here are reduced.
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 - poor
Strong artificial brightening to the south. Faint and mid-brightness stars near the horizon are absent.
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 - poor
Strong artificial brightening to the west-south-west. Faint and mid-brightness stars near the horizon are absent.
west - poor
Bright skyglow dominates the lower west sky. This direction is not suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
west-north-west - poor
The west-north-west horizon is bright with artificial light. Only stars brighter than magnitude 3 are visible 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
A bright dome of skyglow sits on the north-north-west horizon. Faint stars are suppressed up to roughly 25 degrees elevation.
zenith - poor
Heavy artificial brightening overhead. Limit visual work to bright stars, planets, and the Moon.
-
319, Texas
- Direction
- ENE
- Distance (km)
- 58.4
- SQM
- 20.13
- Bortle
- 6
-
Van Zandt County, Texas
- Direction
- ESE
- Distance (km)
- 77.5
- SQM
- 20.23
- Bortle
- 6
-
Ermine Road, Texas
- Direction
- ESE
- Distance (km)
- 147.3
- SQM
- 20.62
- Bortle
- 5
-
Falls County, Texas
- Direction
- S
- Distance (km)
- 187.6
- SQM
- 20.68
- Bortle
- 5
-
Cabe Road, Texas
- Direction
- ENE
- Distance (km)
- 251.7
- SQM
- 21.11
- Bortle
- 4