How dark is the sky in Chatham, IL?

Satellite radiance puts Chatham in the suburban edge band. A noticeable glow near the horizon. Brighter stars and constellations are easy to pick out; the Milky Way is washed out. That's brighter than 18% 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.

The nearest darker sky to Chatham

The closest place in this dataset with a meaningfully darker sky is Godfrey, IL, roughly 57 miles away in a straight line, rated dark sky. Road distance will be more.

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

Chatham against the rest of the dataset

Chatham, IL counts roughly 14,639 residents, among the 3,206 US cities this site tracks. Among all 3,206 cities here, Chatham ranks 576 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.