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What limiting magnitude is required in order that the Milky Way will be visible?

Obviously there are factors such as whether it's barely or clearly seen, how high it is in the sky, etc, but I'm interested in whatever estimates people can offer. My personal guess would be around 5.

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The other variable is that people vary hugely in their ability to see faint stars. A sky that I call mag 5.5 another person might call mag 6.0, and yet another mag 5.0, or even worse.

But as for me, I am essentially unable to detect the Milky Way at my local urban park, ZLM around 4.7, SQM around 18.0 at best.

At my favorite inner-suburban site, ZLM around 5.1, SQM around 18.7, I can see the Cygnus Star Cloud when it's overhead, but it's awfully vague and unrewarding.

In the mid-suburbs, ZLM around 5.5, SQM around 19.5, I can see the overhead Milky Way quite clearly from Perseus through Cygnus, and I can trace it down all the way to the Great Sagittarius Star Cloud on a good night. The Milky Way is much brighter in Sagittarius than in Cygnus, but that's more than counterbalanced by the fact that the sky is much brighter 20 degrees off the horizon than overhead.

I can see parts of the winter Milky Way, from Perseus through Auriga and Gemini, from my club's site in the outer suburbs, ZLM around 5.7, SQM around 20.0.

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Tony Flanders

First and foremost observing love: naked eye.
Second, binoculars.
Last but not least, telescopes.
And I sometimes dabble with cameras.

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