How dark is the sky in Ponca City, OK?

Ponca City reads as suburban edge on this dataset's scale. A noticeable glow near the horizon. Brighter stars and constellations are easy to pick out; the Milky Way is washed out. Ponca City's sky is brighter than 42.8% 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.

Where to go for a darker sky near Ponca City

The closest place in this dataset with a meaningfully darker sky is Yukon, OK, roughly 92 miles away in a straight line, rated rural. Road distance will be more.

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

Ponca City against the rest of the dataset

Ponca City, OK has a population of about 24,234, one of 3,206 US cities of 10,000 or more residents in this dataset. Among all 3,206 cities here, Ponca City ranks 1,366 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.