How dark is the sky in Carroll, IA?

Carroll reads as suburban on this dataset's scale. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. That's brighter than 52.8% of the 3,206 US 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 Carroll is from a meaningfully darker sky

Boone, IA, about 51 miles away as the crow flies, measures in the suburban edge band, one step darker than Carroll. Actual driving distance will run longer than that straight-line figure.

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

Carroll against the rest of the dataset

Carroll, IA has a population of about 10,125, one of 3,206 US cities of 10,000 or more residents in this dataset. Among all 3,206 cities here, Carroll ranks 1,683 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.