How dark is the sky in Berkeley, CA?

Berkeley's sky measures suburban here. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. Berkeley's sky is brighter than 79.6% 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.

How far Berkeley is from a meaningfully darker sky

The closest place in this dataset with a meaningfully darker sky is Emeryville, CA, roughly 2 miles away in a straight line, rated suburban edge. Road distance will be more.

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

Berkeley against the rest of the dataset

Berkeley, CA has a population of about 121,749, one of 3,206 US cities of 10,000 or more residents in this dataset. Among all 3,206 cities here, Berkeley ranks 2,537 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.