Owatonna, MN Night Sky Brightness
Owatonna, MN's night sky, measured from orbit
Owatonna's sky measures suburban here. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. That's brighter than 85% of the 3,206 US 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 Owatonna is from a meaningfully darker sky
The closest place in this dataset with a meaningfully darker sky is Faribault, MN, roughly 15 miles away in a straight line, rated suburban edge. Road distance will be more.
Faribault, MN is itself still a measured city, not a designated dark-sky park, this only compares against the 3,206 places this dataset covers.
How Owatonna compares nationally
About 26,626 people live in Owatonna, MN, sized enough to appear in this dataset of 3,206 incorporated US cities. Owatonna's position, 2,711 of 3,206, darkest to brightest, comes from the sampling method the methodology guide sets out.