How dark is the sky in Highland Park, IL?

Highland Park reads as suburban on this dataset's scale. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. Highland Park's sky is brighter than 47.7% 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.

Where to go for a darker sky near Highland Park

Deerfield, IL, about 2 miles away as the crow flies, measures in the suburban edge band, one step darker than Highland Park. Actual driving distance will run longer than that straight-line figure.

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

Highland Park against the rest of the dataset

Highland Park, IL has a population of about 30,794, one of 3,206 US cities of 10,000 or more residents in this dataset. Among all 3,206 cities here, Highland Park ranks 1,521 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.