What the night sky looks like over Le Mars, IA

Le Mars's sky measures suburban here. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. That's brighter than 79% of the 3,206 US cities in this dataset.

The number comes from orbit, not a stargazer's logbook, so treat it as an estimate of sky glow rather than a certified Bortle class.

How far Le Mars is from a meaningfully darker sky

57 miles from Le Mars, straight-line, sits Spencer, IA, the nearest city here with a darker sky than Le Mars's own suburban band.

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

Le Mars against the rest of the dataset

Le Mars, IA has a population of about 10,674, one of 3,206 US cities of 10,000 or more residents in this dataset. Among all 3,206 cities here, Le Mars ranks 2,520 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.