Elon, NC Night Sky Brightness
How dark is the sky in Elon, NC?
Satellite radiance puts Elon in the suburban band. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. That's brighter than 60% 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, covered fully in the Bortle scale guide.
How far Elon is from a meaningfully darker sky
13 miles from Elon, straight-line, sits Mebane, NC, the nearest city here with a darker sky than Elon's own suburban band.
Mebane, NC is itself still a measured city, not a designated dark-sky park, this only compares against the 3,206 places this dataset covers.
Elon against the rest of the dataset
About 11,282 people live in Elon, NC, sized enough to appear in this dataset of 3,206 incorporated US cities. Ranked against the other 3,206 cities here by the methodology guide's own sampling, Elon comes in at 1,912, darkest to brightest.