South Pasadena, CA Night Sky Brightness
How dark is the sky in South Pasadena, CA?
Satellite radiance puts South Pasadena in the suburban band. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. South Pasadena's sky is brighter than 61.5% 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.
How far South Pasadena is from a meaningfully darker sky
The closest place in this dataset with a meaningfully darker sky is San Marino, CA, roughly 3 miles away in a straight line, rated suburban edge. Road distance will be more.
San Marino, CA is itself still a measured city, not a designated dark-sky park, this only compares against the 3,206 places this dataset covers.
South Pasadena against the rest of the dataset
South Pasadena, CA has a population of about 25,656, one of 3,206 US cities of 10,000 or more residents in this dataset. Ranked against the other 3,206 cities here by the methodology guide's own sampling, South Pasadena comes in at 1,960, darkest to brightest.