How dark is the sky in Brookings, SD?

Brookings reads as suburban on this dataset's scale. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. Brookings's sky is brighter than 61.9% 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 Brookings

The closest place in this dataset with a meaningfully darker sky is Watertown, SD, roughly 46 miles away in a straight line, rated rural. Road distance will be more.

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

Brookings against the rest of the dataset

Brookings, SD has a population of about 24,555, one of 3,206 US cities of 10,000 or more residents in this dataset. Among all 3,206 cities here, Brookings ranks 1,974 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.