What the night sky looks like over Ellensburg, WA

Satellite radiance puts Ellensburg in the suburban band. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. Ellensburg's sky is brighter than 73% of the 3,206 cities in this dataset.

The number comes from orbit, not a stargazer's logbook, so treat it as an estimate of sky glow rather than a certified Bortle class.

How far Ellensburg is from a meaningfully darker sky

60 miles from Ellensburg, straight-line, sits Grandview, WA, the nearest city here with a darker sky than Ellensburg's own suburban band.

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

Ellensburg against the rest of the dataset

About 20,996 people live in Ellensburg, WA, sized enough to appear in this dataset of 3,206 incorporated US cities. Among all 3,206 cities here, Ellensburg ranks 2,328 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.