How dark is the sky in Elmira, NY?

Satellite radiance puts Elmira in the suburban band. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. Only 78.7% of the 3,206 cities measured here read darker than Elmira.

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 Elmira is from a meaningfully darker sky

Ithaca, NY, about 29 miles away as the crow flies, measures in the suburban edge band, one step darker than Elmira. Actual driving distance will run longer than that straight-line figure.

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

Elmira against the rest of the dataset

About 26,255 people live in Elmira, NY, sized enough to appear in this dataset of 3,206 incorporated US cities. Among all 3,206 cities here, Elmira ranks 2,510 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.