Seville Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Seville
- City
- Seville
- Country
- Spain
- Latitude
- 37.3891
- Longitude
- -5.9845
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsecĀ²)
- 17.56
- Bortle class
- Class 9 (Class 9)
- Darkness Quotient
- 19%
- Dataset
- April 2026
Inner city sky
Seville: The Practical Verdict
Seville, a major city in Andalusia, is enveloped by severe urban light pollution. The sky here, classified as Bortle 9, offers limited opportunities for stargazing. The bright environments significantly hinder dark-sky observations, leaving the Milky Way completely obscured.
The urban glow restricts visibility to the Moon, bright stars, and planets. Targets requiring higher sensitivity, such as deep-sky galaxies and nebulae, are not practical from within the city. While narrowband imaging and observation of the brightest open clusters are achievable with care, the sky's brightness is a persistent challenge.
For more rewarding observations, consider heading to Cerro Bermejo in Extremadura, about 70 km north-north-west. This Bortle 4 location provides substantially darker skies, making it worthwhile for those seeking deeper astronomical experiences beyond city limits.
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
- Cerro Bermejo, Extremadura sits about 68 km north north west and reaches Bortle 4, roughly 24x darker.
- Good dark window
- Seville'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 Seville?
No. Seville is a Bortle Class 9 sky with SQM 17.56, 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 Seville?
Seville is Bortle Class 9 (SQM 17.56), a severe urban sky for astronomy.
Is Seville good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Seville is a severe urban sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Seville good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Seville and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Seville without careful processing.
What can you observe from Seville?
Primary targets from Seville 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 Seville?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is La Rinconada, Andalusia, about 12 km east south east of Seville, reaching Bortle 7.
When is the sky darkest in Seville?
The sky over Seville is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in Seville getting better or worse?
Long-term light pollution over Seville has been broadly stable across the available measurements.
north - fair
Light glow detectable on the north horizon. The effect fades quickly with elevation and does not affect overhead work.
north-north-east - fair
The north-north-east sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
north-east - good
No noticeable light pollution to the north-east. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
east-north-east - fair
A trace of skyglow near the east-north-east horizon. Stars are clear throughout this direction except very close to the ground.
east - fair
The east sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
east-south-east - marginal
A diffuse glow sits on the east-south-east horizon. Faint objects below 20 degrees in this direction are compromised.
south-east - fair
A trace of skyglow near the south-east horizon. Stars are clear throughout this direction except very close to the ground.
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
Faint glow on the south horizon. Most stars are visible to low elevation; only the faintest near the ground are affected.
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
The south-west sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
west-south-west - fair
Faint glow on the west-south-west horizon. Most stars are visible to low elevation; only the faintest near the ground are affected.
west - fair
A faint diffuse glow on the west horizon. Stars are visible to low elevation, with minor losses near the ground.
west-north-west - good
Dark sky in the west-north-west direction with no obvious skyglow. Suitable for faint-object work at low elevation.
north-west - good
Dark horizon to the north-west. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.
north-north-west - good
No noticeable light pollution to the north-north-west. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
zenith - poor
The zenith sky is bright. The Milky Way is absent and most constellation stars are not visible.
-
La Rinconada, Andalusia
- Direction
- ESE
- Distance (km)
- 12
- SQM
- 19.14
- Bortle
- 7
-
AznalcƔzar, Andalusia
- Direction
- SW
- Distance (km)
- 44.7
- SQM
- 20.02
- Bortle
- 6
-
Cerro Bermejo, Extremadura
- Direction
- NNW
- Distance (km)
- 67.6
- SQM
- 21.01
- Bortle
- 4
-
La Barca, Andalusia
- Direction
- S
- Distance (km)
- 81.9
- SQM
- 20.28
- Bortle
- 6
-
El Encebro, Andalusia
- Direction
- SE
- Distance (km)
- 84.4
- SQM
- 20.31
- Bortle
- 5
-
Brites Gomes
- Direction
- W
- Distance (km)
- 155.9
- SQM
- 20.81
- Bortle
- 4