Herndon, VA Night Sky Brightness
How dark is the sky in Herndon, VA?
Herndon reads as suburban on this dataset's scale. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. Herndon's sky is brighter than 76% of the 3,206 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.
The nearest darker sky to Herndon
New Carrollton, MD, about 27 miles away as the crow flies, measures in the suburban edge band, one step darker than Herndon. Actual driving distance will run longer than that straight-line figure.
New Carrollton, MD is itself still a measured city, not a designated dark-sky park, this only compares against the 3,206 places this dataset covers.
Herndon against the rest of the dataset
About 25,180 people live in Herndon, VA, 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, Herndon comes in at 2,424, darkest to brightest.