Pella, IA's night sky, measured from orbit

Satellite radiance puts Pella in the suburban band. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. That's brighter than 81% 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.

How far Pella is from a meaningfully darker sky

37 miles from Pella, straight-line, sits Ottumwa, IA, the nearest city here with a darker sky than Pella's own suburban band.

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

How Pella compares nationally

Pella, IA counts roughly 10,965 residents, among the 3,206 US cities this site tracks. Pella places 2,584 of 3,206 cities in this dataset's darkest-to-brightest order.