South Bend, IN Night Sky Brightness
South Bend, IN's night sky, measured from orbit
South Bend reads as suburban on this dataset's scale. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. South Bend's sky is brighter than 76.1% 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, explained in the Bortle scale guide.
How far South Bend is from a meaningfully darker sky
11 miles from South Bend, straight-line, sits Niles, MI, the nearest city here with a darker sky than South Bend's own suburban band.
Niles, MI is itself still a measured city, not a designated dark-sky park, this only compares against the 3,206 places this dataset covers.
How South Bend compares nationally
South Bend, IN counts roughly 103,713 residents, among the 3,206 US cities this site tracks. South Bend's position, 2,425 of 3,206, darkest to brightest, comes from the sampling method the methodology guide sets out.