How dark is the sky in Midland, TX?

Midland 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. Midland's sky is brighter than 40.7% 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 Midland is from a meaningfully darker sky

Carlsbad, NM, about 127 miles away as the crow flies, measures in the rural band, one step darker than Midland. Actual driving distance will run longer than that straight-line figure.

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

Midland against the rest of the dataset

Midland, TX counts roughly 143,687 residents, among the 3,206 US cities this site tracks. Among all 3,206 cities here, Midland ranks 1,297 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.