How dark is the sky in Athens-Clarke County, GA?

Athens-Clarke County reads as urban on this dataset's scale. Sky glow overhead most nights. Typically only planets, the Moon, and a handful of the brightest stars are visible. Athens-Clarke County's sky is brighter than 98.2% of the 3,206 cities in this dataset.

Worth remembering: this is satellite radiance, not a ground observation. A true Bortle rating needs a human eye at night, this is the closest large-scale substitute.

The nearest darker sky to Athens-Clarke County

Jefferson, GA, about 19 miles away as the crow flies, measures in the rural band, one step darker than Athens-Clarke County. Actual driving distance will run longer than that straight-line figure.

Jefferson, GA is itself still a measured city, not a designated dark-sky park, this only compares against the 3,206 places this dataset covers.

Athens-Clarke County against the rest of the dataset

About 128,691 people live in Athens-Clarke County, GA, sized enough to appear in this dataset of 3,206 incorporated US cities. Among all 3,206 cities here, Athens-Clarke County ranks 3,132 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.