Goleta, CA's night sky, measured from orbit

Goleta 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 51.7% 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.

How far Goleta is from a meaningfully darker sky

Santa Barbara, CA, about 9 miles away as the crow flies, measures in the rural band, one step darker than Goleta. Actual driving distance will run longer than that straight-line figure.

Santa Barbara, 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 Goleta compares nationally

About 32,611 people live in Goleta, CA, sized enough to appear in this dataset of 3,206 incorporated US cities. Goleta places 1,648 of 3,206 cities in this dataset's darkest-to-brightest order.