How dark is the sky in Washington, DC?

Satellite radiance puts Washington in the inner-city band. Among the brightest skies in this dataset. Usually just the Moon and a few of the brightest stars or planets cut through. Only 99.8% of the 3,206 cities measured here read darker than Washington.

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.

The nearest darker sky to Washington

The closest place in this dataset with a meaningfully darker sky is Hyattsville, MD, roughly 5 miles away in a straight line, rated suburban. Road distance will be more.

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

Washington against the rest of the dataset

Washington, DC has a population of about 702,250, one of 3,206 US cities of 10,000 or more residents in this dataset. Among all 3,206 cities here, Washington ranks 3,183 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.