How dark the sky is at Churu: Bortle Class 4, rural and suburban transition
The zenith sky here reads 20.72 magnitudes per square arcsecond. That is about 3.3 times the brightness of a pristine natural sky (22.0), the extra coming from artificial light scattered in the air.
Milky Way
The Milky Way is impressive well above the horizon but loses its fine detail
Zodiacal light
Zodiacal light is visible but faint
Faintest naked-eye stars
Magnitude 6.1 to 6.5 overhead
Naked eye
Light domes from towns show in several directions; M33 is hard even with averted vision
At the eyepiece
Clusters, planetary nebulae and bright galaxies are fine; faint nebulae need a filter
Sky brightness and class come from the World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness (Falchi et al. 2016, CC BY-NC 4.0), with natural skyglow added. On the night, haze, smoke, humidity and the Moon set the real limit.
What's up from Churu by season
At latitude 28.3°N, the north celestial pole stands 28° above the horizon, close to Polaris. Every star north of declination -62° rises at some time of year. The Milky Way core in Sagittarius climbs to 33° above the southern horizon. These are the constellations well placed, 35° or more above the horizon, at about 10 pm in the middle of each season, brightest first.
January evenings (winter): Canis Major, Auriga, and Orion
- Canis MajorIn the south, brightest star Sirius
- AurigaOverhead, brightest star Capella
- OrionHigh in the south, brightest star Rigel
- Canis MinorHigh in the southeast, brightest star Procyon
- EridanusIn the southwest, brightest star Achernar
- TaurusHigh in the southwest, brightest star Aldebaran
- GeminiOverhead, brightest star Pollux
- PerseusHigh in the northwest, brightest star Mirfak
Also well placed: Aries, Lepus, Triangulum, Lynx, Cancer, Monoceros, Camelopardalis.
April evenings (spring): Bootes, Virgo, and Leo
- BootesIn the east, brightest star Arcturus
- VirgoHigh in the southeast, brightest star Spica
- LeoHigh in the southwest, brightest star Regulus
- Ursa MajorHigh in the northwest, brightest star Alioth
- Ursa MinorIn the north, brightest star Polaris
- CorvusIn the south, brightest star Gienah
- Canes VenaticiHigh in the northeast, brightest star Cor Caroli
- LynxIn the northwest, brightest star Alpha Lyncis
Also well placed: Cancer, Crater, Leo Minor, Coma Berenices, Sextans.
July evenings (summer): Bootes, Lyra, and Aquila
- BootesHigh in the west, brightest star Arcturus
- LyraOverhead, brightest star Vega
- AquilaHigh in the southeast, brightest star Altair
- CygnusHigh in the northeast, brightest star Deneb
- Ursa MinorIn the north, brightest star Polaris
- OphiuchusHigh in the south, brightest star Rasalhague
- Corona BorealisHigh in the west, brightest star Alphecca
- DracoHigh in the north, brightest star Eltanin
Also well placed: Serpens, Hercules, Sagitta, Delphinus, Scutum, Vulpecula.
October evenings (fall): Cygnus, Perseus, and Aries
- CygnusHigh in the northwest, brightest star Deneb
- PerseusIn the northeast, brightest star Mirfak
- AriesIn the east, brightest star Hamal
- CetusIn the southeast, brightest star Diphda
- AndromedaOverhead, brightest star Alpheratz
- CassiopeiaHigh in the north, brightest star Schedar
- PegasusOverhead, brightest star Enif
- CepheusIn the north, brightest star Alderamin
Also well placed: Aquarius, Triangulum, Sagitta, Pisces, Delphinus, Lacerta, Equuleus, Vulpecula.
Showpieces from Churu through the year
| Sight | Constellation | January | April | July | October |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andromeda Galaxy (M31) | Andromeda | In the northwest | - | - | Overhead |
| Orion Nebula (M42) | Orion | High in the south | - | - | - |
| Pleiades (M45) | Taurus | High in the west | - | - | In the east |
| Double Cluster | Perseus | In the northwest | - | - | In the northeast |
| Hercules Cluster (M13) | Hercules | - | In the northeast | Overhead | - |
| Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) | Canes Venatici | - | High in the northeast | In the northwest | - |
| Milky Way core | Sagittarius | - | - | In the south | - |
| Ring Nebula (M57) | Lyra | - | - | Overhead | In the northwest |
| Lagoon Nebula (M8) | Sagittarius | - | - | In the south | - |
At about 10 pm on the 15th of each month; a dash means the sight is below 25° then.
Never set from Churu
Only skim the southern horizon from Churu
Never rise from Churu
Where to set up at Churu
The coordinates on this page point to Churu town, at 292 m (960 ft): 28.300°N, 74.950°E.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Open the larger map · Directions. Arrive before dark, park facing away from other observers, and use red light only.
Churu among the dark sky places of India
Each dot is a dark sky place, colored by Bortle class; select one for its page. See Dark sky places outside the United States for the full list, darkest first.
Camping and lodging at Churu
The nearest town with motels or inns is Churu, India. Check the official site for campgrounds and overnight rules; many parks close their gates at night, so ask about after-dark access.
Dark sky places nearest Churu
| Place | Where | Bortle | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kibber and Kaza | Kaza, India | 1 | 536 km (333 mi) |
| Hanle Dark Sky Reserve | Hanle, India | 1 | 629 km (391 mi) |
| Kutch (Great Rann of Kutch) | Dhordo, India | 3 | 724 km (450 mi) |
| Pench Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra) | Sillari, India | 3 | 866 km (538 mi) |
| Taregna | Masaurhi, India | 4 | 1,053 km (654 mi) |
| Katao | Lachung, India | 1 | 1,361 km (846 mi) |
| Tawang | Tawang, India | 2 | 1,662 km (1,033 mi) |
| Coorg (Kodagu) | Madikeri, India | 4 | 1,768 km (1,098 mi) |
Observatories and astronomy clubs near Churu
No observatory or astronomy club on the list is near Churu.
See observatories and astronomy clubs around the world. Local clubs often hold their star parties at dark sky places like this one.
Churu record
Every value in the dark sky places dataset for Churu
| Park | 127 |
|---|---|
| Name | Churu |
| Area | Asia |
| Region | Rajasthan |
| Country | India |
| Location | Churu |
| Lat | 28.30000 |
| Lon | 74.95000 |
| LatLonSpot | Churu town |
| Elevation_m | 292 |
| Status | Open |
| Lodging | Churu, India |
| Sources | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churu,_Rajasthan |
| Bortle | 4 |
| SQM | 20.72 |
From the site's dark sky places dataset (darkparksglobal_q426). The sky by season is computed from the coordinates.