Petaluma, CA Night Sky Brightness
How dark is the sky in Petaluma, CA?
Petaluma's sky measures suburban here. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. Petaluma's sky is brighter than 58.4% 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, covered fully in the Bortle scale guide.
Where to go for a darker sky near Petaluma
Rohnert Park, CA, about 8 miles away as the crow flies, measures in the suburban edge band, one step darker than Petaluma. Actual driving distance will run longer than that straight-line figure.
Rohnert Park, CA is itself still a measured city, not a designated dark-sky park, this only compares against the 3,206 places this dataset covers.
Petaluma against the rest of the dataset
About 59,393 people live in Petaluma, CA, sized enough to appear in this dataset of 3,206 incorporated US cities. Ranked against the other 3,206 cities here by the methodology guide's own sampling, Petaluma comes in at 1,861, darkest to brightest.