What the night sky looks like over Wheaton, IL

Wheaton's sky measures suburban here. Light dome dominates much of the sky. Only the brightest stars and planets stand out clearly. Wheaton's sky is brighter than 62.4% of the 3,206 cities in this dataset.

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.

How far Wheaton is from a meaningfully darker sky

Winfield, IL, about 3 miles away as the crow flies, measures in the suburban edge band, one step darker than Wheaton. Actual driving distance will run longer than that straight-line figure.

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

Wheaton against the rest of the dataset

Wheaton, IL counts roughly 53,741 residents, among the 3,206 US cities this site tracks. Among all 3,206 cities here, Wheaton ranks 1,991 from darkest to brightest, 1 being the darkest measured.