Guayaquil Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Guayaquil
- City
- Guayaquil
- Country
- Ecuador
- Latitude
- -2.1700
- Longitude
- -79.9224
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 17.74
- Bortle class
- Class 9 (Class 9)
- Darkness Quotient
- 21%
- Dataset
- April 2026
Inner city sky
Guayaquil: The Practical Verdict
Guayaquil, being a major coastal city in Ecuador, suffers from substantial urban light pollution. The sky is severely affected, rendering it one of the least favourable urban environments for stargazing across the region. The brightest target objects are visible, but conditions decidedly limit deeper explorations.
Under the prevailing sky brightness, the Milky Way is completely invisible. Observing is restricted to brighter celestial objects such as the Moon, planets, and prominent stars. Features like faint nebulae or weaker meteor shower activity are unattainable without significant compromises, and broadband imaging is heavily dominated by background gradients.
For those seeking darker skies, travelling south-south-west towards Puná, roughly 70 km away, offers substantial improvements. This location under Bortle 4 conditions ensures access to much cleaner horizons for deep-sky pursuits and imaging work.
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
- Puná, Guayas sits about 69 km south south west and reaches Bortle 4, roughly 18x darker.
- Good dark window
- Guayaquil retains astronomical darkness throughout the year, so seasonality is less extreme than at higher latitudes. The main limitation is light pollution, not the length of the dark window.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you see the Milky Way from Guayaquil?
No. Guayaquil is a Bortle Class 9 sky with SQM 17.74, 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 Guayaquil?
Guayaquil is Bortle Class 9 (SQM 17.74), a severe urban sky for astronomy.
Is Guayaquil good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Guayaquil is a severe urban sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Guayaquil good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Guayaquil and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Guayaquil without careful processing.
What can you observe from Guayaquil?
Primary targets from Guayaquil 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 Guayaquil?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Pica Pica, Los RĂos, about 50 km north north east of Guayaquil, reaching Bortle 6.
When is the sky darkest in Guayaquil?
The sky over Guayaquil is darkest around April, September.
Is light pollution in Guayaquil getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Guayaquil has been broadly stable across the available measurements.
north - marginal
Noticeable glow on the north horizon. Stars below about 20 degrees in this direction are dimmed.
north-north-east - marginal
A diffuse glow sits on the north-north-east horizon. Faint objects below 20 degrees in this direction are compromised.
north-east - marginal
A diffuse glow sits on the north-east horizon. Faint objects below 20 degrees in this direction are compromised.
east-north-east - fair
A faint diffuse glow on the east-north-east horizon. Stars are visible to low elevation, with minor losses near the ground.
east - marginal
The east sky shows a clear glow near the ground. Above about 20 degrees the sky returns to workable.
east-south-east - marginal
Soft skyglow visible on the east-south-east horizon. Mid-brightness stars survive at low elevation; the faintest do not.
south-east - fair
Faint glow on the south-east horizon. Most stars are visible to low elevation; only the faintest near the ground are affected.
south-south-east - marginal
Soft skyglow visible on the south-south-east horizon. Mid-brightness stars survive at low elevation; the faintest do not.
south - fair
A trace of skyglow near the south horizon. Stars are clear throughout this direction except very close to the ground.
south-south-west - fair
The south-south-west sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
south-west - fair
A trace of skyglow near the south-west horizon. Stars are clear throughout this direction except very close to the ground.
west-south-west - fair
Light glow detectable on the west-south-west horizon. The effect fades quickly with elevation and does not affect overhead work.
west - fair
Light glow detectable on the west horizon. The effect fades quickly with elevation and does not affect overhead work.
west-north-west - fair
A trace of skyglow near the west-north-west horizon. Stars are clear throughout this direction except very close to the ground.
north-west - fair
A faint diffuse glow on the north-west horizon. Stars are visible to low elevation, with minor losses near the ground.
north-north-west - marginal
The north-north-west sky shows a clear glow near the ground. Above about 20 degrees the sky returns to workable.
zenith - poor
The zenith sky is bright. The Milky Way is absent and most constellation stars are not visible.
-
Parroquia SimĂłn BolĂvar, Santa Elena Province
- Direction
- W
- Distance (km)
- 51.7
- SQM
- 20.26
- Bortle
- 6
-
Pica Pica, Los RĂos
- Direction
- NNE
- Distance (km)
- 50.4
- SQM
- 20.19
- Bortle
- 6
-
Puná, Guayas
- Direction
- SSW
- Distance (km)
- 68.7
- SQM
- 20.85
- Bortle
- 4
-
Caimito, Guayas
- Direction
- WSW
- Distance (km)
- 58.9
- SQM
- 20.31
- Bortle
- 5
-
El Carmen de Pijili, Azuay
- Direction
- SSE
- Distance (km)
- 83.3
- SQM
- 20.85
- Bortle
- 4
-
Cascol, ManabĂ
- Direction
- NW
- Distance (km)
- 83.6
- SQM
- 20.58
- Bortle
- 5