Fountain Valley, CA Night Sky Brightness
Fountain Valley, CA's night sky, measured from orbit
Fountain Valley reads as suburban on this dataset's scale. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. That's brighter than 72.1% of the 3,206 US 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.
How far Fountain Valley is from a meaningfully darker sky
Seal Beach, CA, about 8 miles away as the crow flies, measures in the rural band, one step darker than Fountain Valley. Actual driving distance will run longer than that straight-line figure.
Seal Beach, CA is itself still a measured city, not a designated dark-sky park, this only compares against the 3,206 places this dataset covers.
How Fountain Valley compares nationally
Fountain Valley, CA counts roughly 56,036 residents, among the 3,206 US cities this site tracks. Fountain Valley's position, 2,300 of 3,206, darkest to brightest, comes from the sampling method the methodology guide sets out.