Stargazing in Qalyub, Qalyubia, Egypt

Dark-sky rating for Qalyub

Qalyub, Qalyubia, Egypt is a small city (population about 156,363). 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

• Kottamia Observatory · observatory · about 66 km away

Milky Way season in Qalyub

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 31°.

• The north celestial pole stands 30.2° above the horizon, so stars within 30° of it never set from here.
• About 75.1% 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 30.8° up, staying low, so a clear southern horizon matters.
• At 22 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 November 6, 2026 (UTC) the Moon is a Waning Crescent at 7% illumination. Aurora at 30.2° latitude generally needs about Kp 9.0.

Nearby places

• Al Khusus, Qalyubia, Egypt
• Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
• Ashmun, Monufia, Egypt
• Al-'Ubur, Qalyubia, Egypt
• New Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
• Banha, Qalyubia, Egypt