How dark is the sky in Detroit Lakes, MN?

Satellite radiance puts Detroit Lakes in the suburban band. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. That's brighter than 58% 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 Detroit Lakes is from a meaningfully darker sky

Sartell, MN, about 113 miles away as the crow flies, measures in the suburban edge band, one step darker than Detroit Lakes. Actual driving distance will run longer than that straight-line figure.

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

Detroit Lakes against the rest of the dataset

Detroit Lakes, MN counts roughly 10,033 residents, among the 3,206 US cities this site tracks. Among all 3,206 cities here, Detroit Lakes ranks 1,848 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.