Marion, IL Night Sky Brightness
How dark is the sky in Marion, IL?
Marion's sky measures suburban here. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. Marion's sky is brighter than 78.5% 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, covered fully in the Bortle scale guide.
How far Marion is from a meaningfully darker sky
Jackson, MO, about 46 miles away as the crow flies, measures in the suburban edge band, one step darker than Marion. Actual driving distance will run longer than that straight-line figure.
Jackson, MO is itself still a measured city, not a designated dark-sky park, this only compares against the 3,206 places this dataset covers.
Marion against the rest of the dataset
About 17,021 people live in Marion, IL, sized enough to appear in this dataset of 3,206 incorporated US cities. Ranked against the other 3,206 cities here by the methodology guide's own sampling, Marion comes in at 2,502, darkest to brightest.