How dark is the sky in Manhattan, IL?

Manhattan's sky measures suburban edge here. A noticeable glow near the horizon. Brighter stars and constellations are easy to pick out; the Milky Way is washed out. Manhattan's sky is brighter than 23.8% 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.

How far Manhattan is from a meaningfully darker sky

The closest place in this dataset with a meaningfully darker sky is Plano, IL, roughly 34 miles away in a straight line, rated dark sky. Road distance will be more.

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

Manhattan against the rest of the dataset

Manhattan, IL counts roughly 10,772 residents, among the 3,206 US cities this site tracks. Among all 3,206 cities here, Manhattan ranks 759 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.