Perth Stargazing & Astronomy Report

Light pollution and stargazing locations near Perth

City
Perth
Country
United Kingdom
Latitude
56.3959
Longitude
-3.4310

Key Sky Quality Metrics

SQM (mag/arcsec²)
19.26
Bortle class
Class 7 (Class 7)
Darkness Quotient
36%
Dataset
April 2026

Suburban/urban transition

Perth: The Practical Verdict

Perth, situated in Perth and Kinross, is classified under high light pollution, significantly impacting its night skies. With a poor urban/suburban sky, stargazing opportunities here are fairly limited, especially considering the bright background mask effectively blocking the Milky Way from view.

Observations are most viable for the Moon, planets, and bright open clusters, as these targets remain visible despite the suburban artificial light levels. However, faint nebulae, galaxies, and Milky Way photography are not viable, and deep-sky observing generally demands a more secluded environment away from urban sources.

For enthusiasts willing to travel, Gleann Leac na Muidhe to the west-north-west, around 105 km from Perth, offers substantially darker skies with Bortle 2 quality. This makes it a significantly better choice for deep-sky exploration and astrophotography.

At a Glance

Overall
Poor urban/suburban sky - This is a poor sky for astronomy. The Moon, planets, and a few bright objects remain viable, but deep-sky work is difficult.
Milky Way
Not visible - The Milky Way is not realistically visible from this level of light pollution.
Best targets from here
Moon, planets, bright double stars, bright open clusters, narrowband imaging with careful processing
Do not prioritise
visual deep-sky observing, broadband galaxies, reflection nebulae, Milky Way photography
Best nearby upgrade
Gleann Leac na Muidhe sits about 104 km west north west and reaches Bortle 2, roughly 11x darker.
Moderate dark window
Perth's limiting factor is not only light pollution. Around midsummer, Perth loses true astronomical darkness entirely, so deep-sky observing and imaging are strongly seasonal. Plan serious sessions around the darker months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you see the Milky Way from Perth?

No. Perth is a Bortle Class 7 sky with SQM 19.26, 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 Perth?

Perth is Bortle Class 7 (SQM 19.26), a poor urban/suburban sky for astronomy.

Is Perth good for stargazing?

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

Is Perth good for astrophotography?

Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Perth and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Narrowband imaging of bright emission nebulae remains viable from Perth with appropriate Ha or OIII filters.

What can you observe from Perth?

Primary targets from Perth include Moon, planets, bright double stars, bright open clusters, narrowband imaging with careful processing. Targets such as visual deep-sky observing, broadband galaxies, reflection nebulae are not realistic from this sky.

Where are darker skies near Perth?

The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is Westfield, about 24 km east south east of Perth, reaching Bortle 4.

When is the sky darkest in Perth?

The sky over Perth is darkest around January, December. Major high-latitude limitation: around 99 nights per year have no true astronomical darkness.

Is light pollution in Perth getting better or worse?

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

north - excellent

Clean, fully dark horizon to the north. Star counts remain high right down to the ground.

north-north-east - excellent

The north-north-east horizon is dark to the unaided eye. Faint stars are visible at the lowest elevations.

north-east - excellent

No artificial glow on the north-east horizon. Faint deep-sky objects in this direction are accessible at low elevation.

east-north-east - excellent

The east-north-east horizon is fully dark. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground and the Milky Way reaches the horizon on clear nights.

east - excellent

Dark sky to the east horizon. The Milky Way can be traced to the ground in this direction.

east-south-east - excellent

The east-south-east horizon is dark to the unaided eye. Faint stars are visible at the lowest elevations.

south-east - excellent

Clean, fully dark horizon to the south-east. Star counts remain high right down to the ground.

south-south-east - excellent

Clean, fully dark horizon to the south-south-east. Star counts remain high right down to the ground.

south - excellent

The south horizon is dark to the unaided eye. Faint stars are visible at the lowest elevations.

south-south-west - excellent

The south-south-west horizon is dark to the unaided eye. Faint stars are visible at the lowest elevations.

south-west - excellent

The south-west horizon is dark to the unaided eye. Faint stars are visible at the lowest elevations.

west-south-west - excellent

No artificial glow on the west-south-west horizon. Faint deep-sky objects in this direction are accessible at low elevation.

west - excellent

Clean, fully dark horizon to the west. Star counts remain high right down to the ground.

west-north-west - excellent

Dark sky to the west-north-west horizon. The Milky Way can be traced to the ground in this direction.

north-west - excellent

The north-west horizon is fully dark. Faint stars are visible to within a few degrees of the ground and the Milky Way reaches the horizon on clear nights.

north-north-west - excellent

No artificial glow on the north-north-west horizon. Faint deep-sky objects in this direction are accessible at low elevation.

zenith - fair

Moderate skyglow overhead. Most named constellation stars are visible; the deeper star field is not.

  • Westfield
    Direction
    ESE
    Distance (km)
    24.3
    SQM
    21.02
    Bortle
    4
  • Gleann nan Caorann
    Direction
    W
    Distance (km)
    83.2
    SQM
    21.66
    Bortle
    3
  • Aberdeenshire
    Direction
    NNE
    Distance (km)
    76.5
    SQM
    21.45
    Bortle
    3
  • Auchnagymlinn
    Direction
    S
    Distance (km)
    74
    SQM
    21.13
    Bortle
    4
  • Gleann Leac na Muidhe
    Direction
    WNW
    Distance (km)
    104
    SQM
    21.82
    Bortle
    2
  • Glen Taff
    Direction
    NW
    Distance (km)
    108.6
    SQM
    21.79
    Bortle
    2