Stargazing in Pingwu County, Sichuan, China

Dark-sky rating for Pingwu County

Pingwu County, Sichuan, China is a small city (population about 180,000). A place this size typically has a rural to suburban transition: the Milky Way core can be glimpsed on clear, moonless nights. That is an estimate of Bortle class 4–5 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 Pingwu County. Our list only includes genuine, publicly documented sites, so none is shown rather than guessed.

Milky Way season in Pingwu County

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 32.4° above the horizon, so stars within 32° of it never set from here.
• About 76.8% 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 28.6° up, staying low, so a clear southern horizon matters.
• At 877 m elevation, roughly 10% 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 32.4° latitude generally needs about Kp 9.0.

Nearby places

• Jiangyou, Sichuan, China
• Mianyang, Sichuan, China
• Guangyuan, Sichuan, China
• Mianzhu, Deyang, Sichuan, Sichuan, China
• Luojiang, Sichuan, China
• Deyang, Sichuan, China