How dark is the sky in Cornelius, NC?

Satellite radiance puts Cornelius in the suburban band. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. Only 74.7% of the 3,206 cities measured here read darker than Cornelius.

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 Cornelius is from a meaningfully darker sky

The closest place in this dataset with a meaningfully darker sky is Davidson, NC, roughly 3 miles away in a straight line, rated rural. Road distance will be more.

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

Cornelius against the rest of the dataset

Cornelius, NC has a population of about 34,366, one of 3,206 US cities of 10,000 or more residents in this dataset. Among all 3,206 cities here, Cornelius ranks 2,381 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.