Stargaze Atlas

Alabama dark-sky map — light pollution by town

67 towns rated · darkest: Dixiana · measured from VIIRS 2024 satellite night-lights

Alabama has 67 towns rated for light pollution here, from its darkest — Dixiana (Bortle 5) — to its brightest city cores, with 0 rating as genuinely dark or rural sky (Bortle 4 or better). Every town is listed with the nearest measurably darker town to drive to. No site in the state holds an International Dark Sky Place certification, so its darkest skies are the rural towns at the top of the table. Ratings are a VIIRS satellite proxy, not survey-grade sky-brightness readings.

Statewide Alabama · VIIRS 2024
Towns rated
67

0 rate as genuinely dark or rural sky (about Bortle 4 or better).

Darkest town
Dixiana
Genuinely dark towns
0
Certified dark-sky places
0

Nearest certified dark-sky places to Alabama

No site in Alabama holds an International Dark Sky Place certification. Measured from Dixiana, the state's darkest rated town, these are the nearest certified destinations — all 92 are on the map.

Nearest certified International Dark Sky Places to Dixiana, Alabama.
Place Designation State From Dixiana
Obed Wild and Scenic River Dark Sky Park Tennessee 195 mi
Pickett Civilian Conservation Corps Memorial State Park Dark Sky Park Kentucky 220 mi
Stephen C. Foster State Park Dark Sky Park Georgia 320 mi

All Alabama towns by darkness

Darkest sky first, each with the nearest measurably darker town to drive to. Sort or filter below.

Alabama towns, darkest sky first.
Sky Nearest darker sky
Dixiana 5 Suburban sky 3.1 Carriere, MS — B4, 280 mi
Pleasant Grove 5 Suburban sky 7.4 Carriere, MS — B4, 255 mi
Saks 5 Suburban sky 7.6 Carriere, MS — B4, 310 mi
Chelsea 6 Bright suburban sky 8.2 Pleasant Grove — B5, 22 mi
Gulf Shores 6 Bright suburban sky 11 East Milton, FL — B5, 48 mi
Helena 6 Bright suburban sky 12 Pleasant Grove — B5, 15 mi
Mountain Brook 6 Bright suburban sky 13 Pleasant Grove — B5, 13 mi
Moody 6 Bright suburban sky 14 Dixiana — B5, 14 mi
Millbrook 6 Bright suburban sky 15 Pleasant Grove — B5, 78 mi
Hueytown 6 Bright suburban sky 16 Pleasant Grove — B5, 3 mi
Alexander City 6 Bright suburban sky 18 Saks — B5, 53 mi
Pell City 6 Bright suburban sky 18 Dixiana — B5, 23 mi
Forestdale 6 Bright suburban sky 18 Pleasant Grove — B5, 7 mi
Calera 6 Bright suburban sky 19 Pleasant Grove — B5, 30 mi
Ozark 6 Bright suburban sky 19 Cusseta, GA — B5, 78 mi
Daphne 6 Bright suburban sky 19 East Milton, FL — B5, 53 mi
Homewood 6 Bright suburban sky 20 Pleasant Grove — B5, 10 mi
Fairhope 7 Suburban / urban transition 21 Daphne — B6, 6 mi
Madison 7 Suburban / urban transition 21 Manchester, TN — B6, 66 mi
Fort Payne 7 Suburban / urban transition 22 East Ridge, TN — B6, 48 mi
Scottsboro 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 East Ridge, TN — B6, 50 mi
Atmore 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 Gonzalez, FL — B6, 33 mi
Prattville 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 Millbrook — B6, 6 mi
Enterprise 7 Suburban / urban transition 24 Ozark — B6, 16 mi
Saraland 7 Suburban / urban transition 24 Daphne — B6, 18 mi
Selma 7 Suburban / urban transition 24 Millbrook — B6, 39 mi
East Florence 7 Suburban / urban transition 25 Spring Hill, TN — B6, 77 mi
Alabaster 7 Suburban / urban transition 25 Helena — B6, 4 mi
Foley 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 Gulf Shores — B6, 11 mi
Northport 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 Hueytown — B6, 37 mi
Jasper 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Forestdale — B6, 28 mi
Gardendale 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Forestdale — B6, 8 mi
Center Point 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Dixiana — B5, 7 mi
Jacksonville 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 Saks — B5, 9 mi
Talladega 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 Pell City — B6, 15 mi
Prichard 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 Daphne — B6, 14 mi
Hoover 7 Suburban / urban transition 29 Homewood — B6, 5 mi
Pelham 7 Suburban / urban transition 29 Helena — B6, 2 mi
Trussville 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 Moody — B6, 7 mi
Eufaula 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 Cusseta, GA — B5, 36 mi
Troy 7 Suburban / urban transition 31 Ozark — B6, 31 mi
Hartselle 7 Suburban / urban transition 31 Dixiana — B5, 51 mi
Vestavia Hills 7 Suburban / urban transition 31 Homewood — B6, 2 mi
Albertville 7 Suburban / urban transition 33 Dixiana — B5, 44 mi
Athens 7 Suburban / urban transition 33 Spring Hill, TN — B6, 66 mi
Leeds 7 Suburban / urban transition 34 Moody — B6, 4 mi
Irondale 7 Suburban / urban transition 38 Mountain Brook — B6, 4 mi
Fairfield 7 Suburban / urban transition 39 Pleasant Grove — B5, 3 mi
Oxford 7 Suburban / urban transition 39 Saks — B5, 6 mi
Florence 8 City sky 41 East Florence — B7, 2 mi
Opelika 8 City sky 42 Alexander City — B6, 39 mi
Bessemer 8 City sky 43 Hueytown — B6, 4 mi
Cullman 8 City sky 47 Hartselle — B7, 19 mi
Dothan 8 City sky 48 Ozark — B6, 22 mi
Montgomery 8 City sky 48 Millbrook — B6, 9 mi
Sylacauga 8 City sky 49 Talladega — B7, 20 mi
Muscle Shoals 8 City sky 49 East Florence — B7, 5 mi
Anniston 8 City sky 50 Saks — B5, 3 mi
Phenix City 8 City sky 60 Cusseta, GA — B5, 18 mi
Decatur 8 City sky 62 Hartselle — B7, 12 mi
Tillmans Corner 8 City sky 63 Prichard — B7, 12 mi
Gadsden 8 City sky 64 Jacksonville — B7, 20 mi
Tuscaloosa 8 City sky 74 Northport — B7, 1 mi
Auburn 8 City sky 87 Alexander City — B6, 36 mi
Mobile 9 Inner-city sky 115 Prichard — B7, 4 mi
Huntsville 9 Inner-city sky 124 Madison — B7, 10 mi
Birmingham 9 Inner-city sky 165 Mountain Brook — B6, 3 mi

Frequently asked questions

Where are the darkest skies in Alabama?
The darkest town tracked here is Dixiana. Sort the table on this page by darkness to see the full ranking, from the most rural, star-filled skies down to the brightest city cores.
How many dark-sky towns does Alabama have?
Of 67 towns rated here, 0 rate as genuinely dark or rural sky (about Bortle 4 or better) — good for seeing the Milky Way on a clear, moonless night.
How are these light-pollution ratings measured?
From VIIRS 2024 annual-average satellite night-lights, sampled at each town's center and mapped to a darkness class and an estimated Bortle band. It is a satellite upward-radiance proxy for planning, not a survey-grade sky-brightness reading. See the methodology page for details.

Explore

Bortle scale · Meteor showers · Dark-sky map · Search all towns