Newton, NC Night Sky Brightness
Newton, NC's night sky, measured from orbit
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 37.8% of the 3,206 cities in this dataset.
Note the source: a satellite reading of upward light, not a visual Bortle scale reading. The two measure related but different things, explained in the Bortle scale guide.
How far Newton is from a meaningfully darker sky
26 miles from Newton, straight-line, sits Davidson, NC, the nearest city here with a darker sky than Newton's own suburban edge band.
Davidson, NC is itself still a measured city, not a designated dark-sky park, this only compares against the 3,206 places this dataset covers.
How Newton compares nationally
Newton, NC has a population of about 13,571, one of 3,206 US cities of 10,000 or more residents in this dataset. Newton's position, 1,206 of 3,206, darkest to brightest, comes from the sampling method the methodology guide sets out.