Clay, AL's night sky, measured from orbit

Clay reads as rural on this dataset's scale. Little local light dome. Most stars are visible; the Milky Way is faint but often findable away from town lights. Clay's sky is brighter than 10.7% of the 3,206 cities in this dataset.

Note the source: a satellite reading of upward light, not a visual Bortle scale reading. The two measure related but different things.

How far Clay is from a meaningfully darker sky

27 miles from Clay, straight-line, sits Chelsea, AL, the nearest city here with a darker sky than Clay's own rural band.

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

How Clay compares nationally

Clay, AL counts roughly 10,241 residents, among the 3,206 US cities this site tracks. Clay places 341 of 3,206 cities in this dataset's darkest-to-brightest order.