Bismarck, ND Night Sky Brightness
Bismarck, ND's night sky, measured from orbit
Bismarck's sky measures suburban here. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. Only 67.4% of the 3,206 cities measured here read darker than Bismarck.
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 Bismarck is from a meaningfully darker sky
Jamestown, ND, about 98 miles away as the crow flies, measures in the suburban edge band, one step darker than Bismarck. Actual driving distance will run longer than that straight-line figure.
Jamestown, ND is itself still a measured city, not a designated dark-sky park, this only compares against the 3,206 places this dataset covers.
How Bismarck compares nationally
Bismarck, ND counts roughly 77,772 residents, among the 3,206 US cities this site tracks. Bismarck's position, 2,148 of 3,206, darkest to brightest, comes from the sampling method the methodology guide sets out.