Arlington, WA Night Sky Brightness
Arlington, WA's night sky, measured from orbit
Satellite radiance puts Arlington in the suburban band. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. Only 62.9% of the 3,206 cities measured here read darker than Arlington.
Note the source: a satellite reading of upward light, not a visual Bortle scale reading. The two measure related but different things, explained in the Bortle scale guide.
How far Arlington is from a meaningfully darker sky
6 miles from Arlington, straight-line, sits Marysville, WA, the nearest city here with a darker sky than Arlington's own suburban band.
Marysville, WA is itself still a measured city, not a designated dark-sky park, this only compares against the 3,206 places this dataset covers.
How Arlington compares nationally
About 21,959 people live in Arlington, WA, sized enough to appear in this dataset of 3,206 incorporated US cities. Arlington's position, 2,006 of 3,206, darkest to brightest, comes from the sampling method the methodology guide sets out.