What the night sky looks like over Sterling, IL

Sterling's sky measures suburban edge here. A noticeable glow near the horizon. Brighter stars and constellations are easy to pick out; the Milky Way is washed out. Only 30.8% of the 3,206 cities measured here read darker than Sterling.

The number comes from orbit, not a stargazer's logbook, so treat it as an estimate of sky glow rather than a certified Bortle class.

Where to go for a darker sky near Sterling

The closest place in this dataset with a meaningfully darker sky is Clinton, IA, roughly 28 miles away in a straight line, rated rural. Road distance will be more.

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

Sterling against the rest of the dataset

About 14,535 people live in Sterling, IL, sized enough to appear in this dataset of 3,206 incorporated US cities. Among all 3,206 cities here, Sterling ranks 984 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.