Stargazing in Pune, Maharashtra, India

Dark-sky rating for Pune

Pune, Maharashtra, India is a large metropolitan area (population about 3,124,458). A place this size typically has a bright inner-city sky: only the Moon, planets and the brightest stars show from inside the urban core. That is an estimate of Bortle class 7–9 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

• Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope · observatory · about 67 km away

Milky Way season in Pune

The bright core of the Milky Way climbs high above the horizon haze. It climbs at least 20° above the horizon during astronomical darkness in February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, peaking in April at about 43°.

• The north celestial pole stands 18.5° above the horizon, so stars within 19° of it never set from here.
• About 65.9% 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 42.5° up, clearing the horizon haze comfortably.
• The Large Magellanic Cloud only reaches about 1.8° altitude, so it is a low, seasonal target rather than a year-round one.
• At 554 m elevation, roughly 6% of the atmosphere's mass is already below you, which measurably reduces extinction near the horizon.

Tonight and aurora

As of October 15, 2026 (UTC) the Moon is a Waxing Crescent at 24% illumination. Aurora at 18.5° latitude generally needs about Kp 9.0.

Nearby places

• Satara, Maharashtra, India
• Badlapur, Maharashtra, India