Roanoke Rapids, NC's night sky, measured from orbit

Satellite radiance puts Roanoke Rapids in the suburban band. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. Roanoke Rapids's sky is brighter than 50.6% of the 3,206 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 Roanoke Rapids is from a meaningfully darker sky

The closest place in this dataset with a meaningfully darker sky is Tarboro, NC, roughly 38 miles away in a straight line, rated suburban edge. Road distance will be more.

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

How Roanoke Rapids compares nationally

Roanoke Rapids, NC has a population of about 14,573, one of 3,206 US cities of 10,000 or more residents in this dataset. Roanoke Rapids places 1,613 of 3,206 cities in this dataset's darkest-to-brightest order.