Shreveport Stargazing & Astronomy Report
Light pollution and stargazing locations near Shreveport
- City
- Shreveport
- Country
- United States
- Latitude
- 32.5252
- Longitude
- -93.7502
Key Sky Quality Metrics
- SQM (mag/arcsec²)
- 18.21
- Bortle class
- Class 8 (Class 8)
- Darkness Quotient
- 25%
- Dataset
- April 2026
City sky
Shreveport: The Practical Verdict
Shreveport, in Louisiana, is a mid-sized city characterised by high light pollution conditions. The city sky is significantly brightened by urban development, leading to a poor stargazing environment where the Milky Way is obscured. For local observations, only the brightest celestial objects like the Moon, major planets, and double stars are practical options.
Due to the city’s luminous sky, deep-sky and Milky Way viewing are severely reduced, making serious stargazing challenging. Narrowband imaging of bright targets can still provide some opportunities, but due to widespread light pollution, sensitive observation methods are limited in usefulness. Seeking cleaner horizons outside the city can substantially enhance the stargazing experience.
Consider travelling to Millville, Arkansas, located to the north-north-east about 165 km away, where Bortle 4 skies offer a significantly darker environment suitable for appreciating detailed deep-sky objects.
At a Glance
- Overall
- Poor city sky - This is a poor city sky. The Milky Way is not visible and most deep-sky observing is unrealistic from the location itself.
- Milky Way
- Not visible - The Milky Way is erased by the bright urban sky background.
- 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
- Millville, Arkansas sits about 165 km north north east and reaches Bortle 4, roughly 13x darker.
- Good dark window
- Shreveport'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 Shreveport?
No. Shreveport is a Bortle Class 8 sky with SQM 18.21, 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 Shreveport?
Shreveport is Bortle Class 8 (SQM 18.21), a poor city sky for astronomy.
Is Shreveport good for stargazing?
Not for serious deep-sky observing. Shreveport is a poor city sky where the Moon, planets, and a handful of bright targets are the realistic options from the city itself.
Is Shreveport good for astrophotography?
Broadband deep-sky imaging is heavily compromised from Shreveport and a Bortle 4 or darker site is strongly recommended. Even narrowband imaging is difficult from Shreveport without careful processing.
What can you observe from Shreveport?
Primary targets from Shreveport 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 Shreveport?
The closest meaningfully darker mapped site is County Road 7, Arkansas, about 55 km south south west of Shreveport, reaching Bortle 5.
When is the sky darkest in Shreveport?
The sky over Shreveport is darkest around January, December.
Is light pollution in Shreveport getting better or worse?
There is not yet enough long-term data to give a confident trend for Shreveport.
north - good
The north horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
north-north-east - good
No noticeable light pollution to the north-north-east. The sky in this direction is dark to the horizon.
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 faint diffuse glow on the east-north-east horizon. Stars are visible to low elevation, with minor losses near the ground.
east - fair
Light glow detectable on the east horizon. The effect fades quickly with elevation and does not affect overhead work.
east-south-east - fair
A trace of skyglow near the east-south-east horizon. Stars are clear throughout this direction except very close to the ground.
south-east - fair
Light glow detectable on the south-east horizon. The effect fades quickly with elevation and does not affect overhead work.
south-south-east - fair
The south-south-east sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
south - marginal
Soft skyglow visible on the south horizon. Mid-brightness stars survive at low elevation; the faintest do not.
south-south-west - marginal
The south-south-west sky shows a clear glow near the ground. Above about 20 degrees the sky returns to workable.
south-west - fair
Faint glow on the south-west horizon. Most stars are visible to low elevation; only the faintest near the ground are affected.
west-south-west - fair
The west-south-west sky is broadly dark with a small amount of glow at the horizon. Most objects in this direction are accessible.
west - good
The west horizon is dark. Faint stars are visible close to the ground.
west-north-west - good
Dark horizon to the west-north-west. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.
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
Dark horizon to the north-north-west. Faint stars and extended objects in this direction behave much as they do overhead.
zenith - marginal
The overhead sky background is high. Bright stars and planets are clear; faint stars are suppressed.
-
County Road 7, Arkansas
- Direction
- SSW
- Distance (km)
- 54.6
- SQM
- 20.34
- Bortle
- 5
-
Panola County, Texas
- Direction
- WSW
- Distance (km)
- 61.9
- SQM
- 20.40
- Bortle
- 5
-
Simpsonville, Texas
- Direction
- WNW
- Distance (km)
- 127.9
- SQM
- 20.71
- Bortle
- 5
-
Millville, Arkansas
- Direction
- NNE
- Distance (km)
- 165.1
- SQM
- 21.03
- Bortle
- 4
-
2902, Louisiana
- Direction
- SSE
- Distance (km)
- 157.8
- SQM
- 20.73
- Bortle
- 5
-
Powell, Texas
- Direction
- SSW
- Distance (km)
- 162
- SQM
- 20.61
- Bortle
- 5