How dark is the sky in Melrose, MA?

Melrose'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. Melrose's sky is brighter than 31.5% 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.

How far Melrose is from a meaningfully darker sky

7 miles from Melrose, straight-line, sits Peabody, MA, the nearest city here with a darker sky than Melrose's own suburban edge band.

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

Melrose against the rest of the dataset

About 29,938 people live in Melrose, MA, sized enough to appear in this dataset of 3,206 incorporated US cities. Among all 3,206 cities here, Melrose ranks 1,006 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.