How dark is the sky in Newton, MA?

Satellite radiance puts Newton in the suburban edge band. A noticeable glow near the horizon. Brighter stars and constellations are easy to pick out; the Milky Way is washed out. Newton's sky is brighter than 15.4% 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.

Where to go for a darker sky near Newton

Framingham, MA, about 12 miles away as the crow flies, measures in the rural band, one step darker than Newton. Actual driving distance will run longer than that straight-line figure.

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

Newton against the rest of the dataset

Newton, MA has a population of about 90,700, one of 3,206 US cities of 10,000 or more residents in this dataset. Among all 3,206 cities here, Newton ranks 491 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.