How dark is the sky in Union City, CA?

Satellite radiance puts Union City in the suburban edge band. A noticeable glow near the horizon. Brighter stars and constellations are easy to pick out; the Milky Way is washed out. Union City's sky is brighter than 40.3% 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 Union City

Newark, CA, about 7 miles away as the crow flies, measures in the rural band, one step darker than Union City. Actual driving distance will run longer than that straight-line figure.

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

Union City against the rest of the dataset

Union City, CA has a population of about 66,196, one of 3,206 US cities of 10,000 or more residents in this dataset. Among all 3,206 cities here, Union City ranks 1,286 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.