Stargazing in Chongming, China

Dark-sky rating for Chongming

Chongming, China is a mid-sized city (population about 637,921). A place this size typically has a bright suburban sky: main constellations are easy, the Milky Way is washed out. That is an estimate of Bortle class 5–6 from population, not a measurement: the real value depends on the exact spot you observe from.

For a measured reading at any point, open the live Dark Sky map.

Nearest dark-sky places and observatories

No certified dark-sky place or observatory in our registry lies within 150 km of Chongming. Our list only includes genuine, publicly documented sites, so none is shown rather than guessed.

Milky Way season in Chongming

The bright core of the Milky Way stays low, so you need a clear southern or northern horizon. It climbs at least 20° above the horizon during astronomical darkness in March, April, May, June, July, August, September, peaking in April at about 29°.

• The north celestial pole stands 31.6° above the horizon, so stars within 32° of it never set from here.
• About 76.2% of the whole sky rises above the horizon at some point in the year from this latitude.
• The Milky Way's core in Sagittarius culminates about 29.4° up, staying low, so a clear southern horizon matters.
• At 6 m elevation, roughly 0% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.

Tonight and aurora

As of October 13, 2026 (UTC) the Moon is a Waxing Crescent at 11% illumination. Aurora at 31.6° latitude generally needs about Kp 9.0.

Nearby places

• Baoshan, Shanghai, China
• Shanghai, Shanghai, China
• Jiading, Shanghai, China
• Taicang, Jiangsu, China
• Minhang, Shanghai, China
• Kunshan, Jiangsu, China