How dark is the sky in Laguna Woods, CA?

Laguna Woods reads as suburban edge on this dataset's scale. A noticeable glow near the horizon. Brighter stars and constellations are easy to pick out; the Milky Way is washed out. That's brighter than 39.5% of the 3,206 US 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.

How far Laguna Woods is from a meaningfully darker sky

Laguna Beach, CA, about 5 miles away as the crow flies, measures in the rural band, one step darker than Laguna Woods. Actual driving distance will run longer than that straight-line figure.

Laguna 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.

Laguna Woods against the rest of the dataset

Laguna Woods, CA counts roughly 17,058 residents, among the 3,206 US cities this site tracks. Among all 3,206 cities here, Laguna Woods ranks 1,262 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.