DeKalb, IL Night Sky Brightness
DeKalb, IL's night sky, measured from orbit
DeKalb reads as suburban on this dataset's scale. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. DeKalb's sky is brighter than 79% 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, explained in the Bortle scale guide.
The nearest darker sky to DeKalb
Sycamore, IL, about 6 miles away as the crow flies, measures in the suburban edge band, one step darker than DeKalb. Actual driving distance will run longer than that straight-line figure.
Sycamore, IL is itself still a measured city, not a designated dark-sky park, this only compares against the 3,206 places this dataset covers.
How DeKalb compares nationally
DeKalb, IL has a population of about 40,491, one of 3,206 US cities of 10,000 or more residents in this dataset. DeKalb's position, 2,519 of 3,206, darkest to brightest, comes from the sampling method the methodology guide sets out.