What the night sky looks like over Payson, AZ

Payson's sky measures suburban here. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. Only 52.8% of the 3,206 cities measured here read darker than Payson.

The number comes from orbit, not a stargazer's logbook, so treat it as an estimate of sky glow rather than a certified Bortle class.

How far Payson is from a meaningfully darker sky

The closest place in this dataset with a meaningfully darker sky is Camp Verde, AZ, roughly 38 miles away in a straight line, rated rural. Road distance will be more.

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

Payson against the rest of the dataset

About 16,762 people live in Payson, AZ, sized enough to appear in this dataset of 3,206 incorporated US cities. Among all 3,206 cities here, Payson ranks 1,684 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.