Independence, KY's night sky, measured from orbit

Satellite radiance puts Independence in the rural band. Little local light dome. Most stars are visible; the Milky Way is faint but often findable away from town lights. That's brighter than 7.3% 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 Independence is from a meaningfully darker sky

The closest place in this dataset with a meaningfully darker sky is Fort Oglethorpe, GA, roughly 281 miles away in a straight line, rated dark sky. Road distance will be more.

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

How Independence compares nationally

Independence, KY counts roughly 30,196 residents, among the 3,206 US cities this site tracks. Independence places 235 of 3,206 cities in this dataset's darkest-to-brightest order.