Stargaze Atlas

California dark-sky map — light pollution by town

485 towns rated · darkest: Bayside · measured from VIIRS 2024 satellite night-lights

California has 485 towns rated for light pollution here, from its darkest — Bayside (Bortle 4) — to its brightest city cores. 5 rate as genuinely dark or rural sky (Bortle 4 or better). Sort the table by darkness to find the best stargazing near you, then open any town for its exact rating, what you can see, the nearest darker skies to drive to, and tonight's live Moon, cloud, and aurora conditions. Ratings are a VIIRS satellite proxy for planning, not survey-grade sky-brightness readings.

Statewide California · VIIRS 2024
Towns rated
485

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

Darkest town
Bayside
Genuinely dark towns
5

All California towns by darkness

Darkest sky first. Click a column heading to sort, or filter by name. A satellite reading, not a survey-grade measurement — and the real dark skies are usually a short drive out of any town.

California towns, darkest sky first.
Sky
Bayside 4 Rural / suburban transition 0.8
Magalia 4 Rural / suburban transition 1.7
Tamalpais-Homestead Valley 4 Rural / suburban transition 2.0
Agoura Hills 4 Rural / suburban transition 2.9
Prunedale 4 Rural / suburban transition 2.9
Granite Bay 5 Suburban sky 4.0
San Diego Country Estates 5 Suburban sky 4.0
Cameron Park 5 Suburban sky 4.3
Hillsborough 5 Suburban sky 4.7
Malibu 5 Suburban sky 4.7
Pacifica 5 Suburban sky 4.7
Barstow Heights 5 Suburban sky 4.9
Crestline 5 Suburban sky 5.0
Lake Arrowhead 5 Suburban sky 5.6
Wildomar 5 Suburban sky 5.6
Los Osos 5 Suburban sky 5.8
Rancho Palos Verdes 5 Suburban sky 5.9
Lakeland Village 5 Suburban sky 6.0
Big Bear City 5 Suburban sky 6.1
Coto De Caza 5 Suburban sky 6.1
Larkspur 5 Suburban sky 6.1
South Lake Tahoe 5 Suburban sky 6.1
Sun Village 5 Suburban sky 6.6
Encinitas 5 Suburban sky 6.8
Palos Verdes Estates 5 Suburban sky 6.9
California City 5 Suburban sky 7.0
Fortuna 5 Suburban sky 7.0
El Dorado Hills 5 Suburban sky 7.2
Saratoga 5 Suburban sky 7.2
Truckee 5 Suburban sky 7.3
San Anselmo 5 Suburban sky 7.6
Lafayette 5 Suburban sky 7.7
Vincent 5 Suburban sky 7.7
Casa de Oro-Mount Helix 5 Suburban sky 7.8
Fairview 5 Suburban sky 7.8
South Yuba City 5 Suburban sky 7.8
Arcata 6 Bright suburban sky 8.1
Agua Caliente 6 Bright suburban sky 8.3
Mill Valley 6 Bright suburban sky 8.3
Olivehurst 6 Bright suburban sky 8.3
Morro Bay 6 Bright suburban sky 8.4
Yucca Valley 6 Bright suburban sky 8.4
Canyon Lake 6 Bright suburban sky 8.6
Nipomo 6 Bright suburban sky 8.8
Paradise 6 Bright suburban sky 8.8
Orcutt 6 Bright suburban sky 8.9
Discovery Bay 6 Bright suburban sky 9.0
Pacific Grove 6 Bright suburban sky 9.1
Half Moon Bay 6 Bright suburban sky 9.3
Clayton 6 Bright suburban sky 9.7
Lake Los Angeles 6 Bright suburban sky 9.7
Mead Valley 6 Bright suburban sky 9.7
Alamo 6 Bright suburban sky 10
American Canyon 6 Bright suburban sky 10
Marina 6 Bright suburban sky 10
Scotts Valley 6 Bright suburban sky 10
Clearlake 6 Bright suburban sky 11
Hercules 6 Bright suburban sky 11
Benicia 6 Bright suburban sky 11
Isla Vista 6 Bright suburban sky 11
Laguna Beach 6 Bright suburban sky 11
Moraga 6 Bright suburban sky 11
Orinda 6 Bright suburban sky 11
Shasta Lake 6 Bright suburban sky 11
Winter Gardens 6 Bright suburban sky 11
Bonita 6 Bright suburban sky 12
Burlingame 6 Bright suburban sky 12
McKinleyville 6 Bright suburban sky 12
Oak Park 6 Bright suburban sky 12
Alpine 6 Bright suburban sky 12
Capitola 6 Bright suburban sky 12
Avenal 6 Bright suburban sky 13
Palo Alto 6 Bright suburban sky 13
North Tustin 6 Bright suburban sky 13
Placerville 6 Bright suburban sky 13
Carpinteria 6 Bright suburban sky 13
El Sobrante 6 Bright suburban sky 13
Valle Vista 6 Bright suburban sky 14
San Lorenzo 6 Bright suburban sky 14
Sonoma 6 Bright suburban sky 14
Susanville 6 Bright suburban sky 14
Muscoy 6 Bright suburban sky 14
Phelan 6 Bright suburban sky 14
Rohnert Park 6 Bright suburban sky 14
Solana Beach 6 Bright suburban sky 14
Turtle Rock 6 Bright suburban sky 14
Piedmont 6 Bright suburban sky 14
Alameda 6 Bright suburban sky 14
Los Altos 6 Bright suburban sky 14
Diamond Springs 6 Bright suburban sky 14
Seal Beach 6 Bright suburban sky 14
Linda 6 Bright suburban sky 14
Grover Beach 6 Bright suburban sky 15
Camp Pendleton South 6 Bright suburban sky 15
Petaluma 6 Bright suburban sky 15
Suisun 6 Bright suburban sky 15
Manhattan Beach 6 Bright suburban sky 15
La Crescenta-Montrose 6 Bright suburban sky 15
Coronado 6 Bright suburban sky 15
Healdsburg 6 Bright suburban sky 15
Agoura 6 Bright suburban sky 15
Murrieta 6 Bright suburban sky 15
Rio Linda 6 Bright suburban sky 16
Live Oak 6 Bright suburban sky 16
East Hemet 6 Bright suburban sky 16
Farmersville 6 Bright suburban sky 16
Soledad 6 Bright suburban sky 16
Arroyo Grande 6 Bright suburban sky 16
Woodcrest 6 Bright suburban sky 16
Atascadero 6 Bright suburban sky 16
Rowland Heights 6 Bright suburban sky 16
La Presa 6 Bright suburban sky 16
Laguna Niguel 6 Bright suburban sky 17
Rossmoor 6 Bright suburban sky 17
Anderson 6 Bright suburban sky 17
Menifee 6 Bright suburban sky 17
Chino Hills 6 Bright suburban sky 17
Pinole 6 Bright suburban sky 17
Jurupa Valley 6 Bright suburban sky 17
Lompoc 6 Bright suburban sky 17
North Highlands 6 Bright suburban sky 17
Carlsbad 6 Bright suburban sky 17
Grass Valley 6 Bright suburban sky 17
Dixon 6 Bright suburban sky 18
Oakley 6 Bright suburban sky 18
Lemoore 6 Bright suburban sky 18
San Marino 6 Bright suburban sky 18
Vineyard 6 Bright suburban sky 18
La Cañada Flintridge 6 Bright suburban sky 19
La Quinta 6 Bright suburban sky 19
Spring Valley 6 Bright suburban sky 19
Auburn 6 Bright suburban sky 19
Danville 6 Bright suburban sky 19
Greenfield 6 Bright suburban sky 19
Ramona 6 Bright suburban sky 19
Sierra Madre 6 Bright suburban sky 19
Twentynine Palms 6 Bright suburban sky 19
Garden Acres 6 Bright suburban sky 20
Ladera Ranch 6 Bright suburban sky 20
Citrus Heights 7 Suburban / urban transition 20
Red Bluff 7 Suburban / urban transition 20
Delhi 7 Suburban / urban transition 20
Los Gatos 7 Suburban / urban transition 20
La Riviera 7 Suburban / urban transition 21
Bay Point 7 Suburban / urban transition 21
Exeter 7 Suburban / urban transition 21
Norco 7 Suburban / urban transition 21
Parlier 7 Suburban / urban transition 21
Riverbank 7 Suburban / urban transition 21
San Clemente 7 Suburban / urban transition 21
Laguna Woods 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Oroville 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Tehachapi 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Altadena 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Mountain View 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Lake Forest 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Santa Paula 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Fair Oaks 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Mission Viejo 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
North Auburn 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
Daly City 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
Bayview-Hunters Point 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
Paso Robles 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
Rosedale 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
Foothill Farms 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
King City 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
Pedley 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
Quartz Hill 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
El Cerrito 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
Hermosa Beach 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
La Palma 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
Novato 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
Dana Point 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
Chowchilla 7 Suburban / urban transition 24
Ukiah 7 Suburban / urban transition 24
Winton 7 Suburban / urban transition 24
Fallbrook 7 Suburban / urban transition 24
Imperial Beach 7 Suburban / urban transition 24
Monterey 7 Suburban / urban transition 24
Orangevale 7 Suburban / urban transition 24
Martinez 7 Suburban / urban transition 24
Eureka 7 Suburban / urban transition 25
Moorpark 7 Suburban / urban transition 25
Walnut 7 Suburban / urban transition 25
Kerman 7 Suburban / urban transition 25
Shafter 7 Suburban / urban transition 25
Irvine 7 Suburban / urban transition 25
Lakeside 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Lindsay 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Valencia 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Lamont 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Rancho San Diego 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Goleta 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Newman 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Woodland 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Rocklin 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Cherryland 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Corcoran 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Carmichael 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Hollister 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
San Carlos 7 Suburban / urban transition 27
Fillmore 7 Suburban / urban transition 27
Yorba Linda 7 Suburban / urban transition 27
Lincoln 7 Suburban / urban transition 27
Wasco 7 Suburban / urban transition 27
Antioch 7 Suburban / urban transition 27
Arvin 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Elk Grove 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Folsom 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Menlo Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Windsor 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Hacienda Heights 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Aliso Viejo 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Rosemont 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Pleasanton 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Yucaipa 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Galt 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Napa 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Adelanto 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Redwood City 7 Suburban / urban transition 29
Rosamond 7 Suburban / urban transition 29
Poway 7 Suburban / urban transition 29
Livingston 7 Suburban / urban transition 29
Cerritos 7 Suburban / urban transition 29
San Luis Obispo 7 Suburban / urban transition 29
Salida 7 Suburban / urban transition 29
Banning 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Mendota 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Stanford 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Belmont 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Eastvale 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Santa Clarita 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Apple Valley 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Davis 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
San Gabriel 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
McFarland 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Patterson 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Los Banos 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Albany 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Grand Terrace 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
San Ramon 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Santa Cruz 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Vista 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Chico 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Temple City 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Lemon Grove 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
Coalinga 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
Highland 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
Oceanside 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
La Mesa 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
Port Hueneme 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
Reedley 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
Simi Valley 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
Morgan Hill 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
Imperial 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Camarillo 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Campbell 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Florin 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Dublin 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Kingsburg 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Laguna Hills 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Newark 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Cypress 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
San Pablo 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
South Whittier 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Union City 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Santee 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Ventura 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Victorville 7 Suburban / urban transition 33
Cathedral City 7 Suburban / urban transition 33
Ashland 7 Suburban / urban transition 33
Avocado Heights 7 Suburban / urban transition 33
San Juan Capistrano 7 Suburban / urban transition 33
Hesperia 7 Suburban / urban transition 33
Vincent 7 Suburban / urban transition 33
Arden-Arcade 7 Suburban / urban transition 33
Glen Avon 7 Suburban / urban transition 33
San Rafael 7 Suburban / urban transition 33
Rancho Cordova 7 Suburban / urban transition 33
Vallejo 7 Suburban / urban transition 33
Lathrop 7 Suburban / urban transition 34
South Pasadena 7 Suburban / urban transition 34
Castaic 7 Suburban / urban transition 34
La Mirada 7 Suburban / urban transition 34
San Mateo 7 Suburban / urban transition 34
Santa Rosa 7 Suburban / urban transition 35
Oildale 7 Suburban / urban transition 35
Pittsburg 7 Suburban / urban transition 35
Newport Beach 7 Suburban / urban transition 35
Lake Elsinore 7 Suburban / urban transition 35
Brentwood 7 Suburban / urban transition 35
La Verne 7 Suburban / urban transition 35
Diamond Bar 7 Suburban / urban transition 35
Fountain Valley 7 Suburban / urban transition 35
Ridgecrest 7 Suburban / urban transition 35
Temecula 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
West Puente Valley 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Monterey Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Perris 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Santa Barbara 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Clovis 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Ceres 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Santa Clara 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Vacaville 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Valinda 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
East Palo Alto 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
San Jacinto 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Huntington Beach 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Sunnyvale 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Castro Valley 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Rubidoux 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Desert Hot Springs 7 Suburban / urban transition 37
San Marcos 7 Suburban / urban transition 37
Livermore 7 Suburban / urban transition 37
Lomita 7 Suburban / urban transition 37
Cupertino 7 Suburban / urban transition 37
La Habra 7 Suburban / urban transition 37
Claremont 7 Suburban / urban transition 38
Seaside 7 Suburban / urban transition 38
Hemet 7 Suburban / urban transition 38
Stevenson Ranch 7 Suburban / urban transition 38
Norwalk 7 Suburban / urban transition 39
Santa Maria 7 Suburban / urban transition 39
Selma 7 Suburban / urban transition 39
Atwater 7 Suburban / urban transition 39
Los Alamitos 7 Suburban / urban transition 39
Lodi 7 Suburban / urban transition 39
Citrus 7 Suburban / urban transition 39
Ripon 7 Suburban / urban transition 40
Foster City 7 Suburban / urban transition 40
Home Gardens 7 Suburban / urban transition 40
Loma Linda 7 Suburban / urban transition 40
Sanger 8 City sky 40
Manteca 8 City sky 40
Pleasant Hill 8 City sky 40
Marysville 8 City sky 41
Antelope 8 City sky 41
Berkeley 8 City sky 41
Beaumont 8 City sky 41
Thousand Oaks 8 City sky 41
Madera 8 City sky 41
Moreno Valley 8 City sky 41
Chula Vista 8 City sky 42
Brea 8 City sky 42
Rancho Cucamonga 8 City sky 42
Pomona 8 City sky 42
Fairfield 8 City sky 42
West Sacramento 8 City sky 42
Del Aire 8 City sky 42
Westmont 8 City sky 42
Bellflower 8 City sky 43
East Rancho Dominguez 8 City sky 43
Tracy 8 City sky 43
Fremont 8 City sky 43
Bostonia 8 City sky 43
Orange 8 City sky 43
Yuba City 8 City sky 43
Barstow 8 City sky 44
Dinuba 8 City sky 44
Montebello 8 City sky 44
Westminster 8 City sky 44
Pico Rivera 8 City sky 44
Tustin 8 City sky 45
West Carson 8 City sky 45
Gilroy 8 City sky 45
Richmond 8 City sky 45
Lakewood 8 City sky 45
Upland 8 City sky 45
Lawndale 8 City sky 45
Willowbrook 8 City sky 45
Redondo Beach 8 City sky 46
San Dimas 8 City sky 46
Hawaiian Gardens 8 City sky 46
Millbrae 8 City sky 46
Placentia 8 City sky 46
Roseville 8 City sky 46
Baldwin Park 8 City sky 46
Fresno 8 City sky 46
Garden Grove 8 City sky 46
Rosemead 8 City sky 46
Delano 8 City sky 46
El Segundo 8 City sky 46
Florence-Graham 8 City sky 46
Glendora 8 City sky 46
Rancho Mirage 8 City sky 47
Torrance 8 City sky 47
Visalia 8 City sky 47
Stanton 8 City sky 47
Montclair 8 City sky 47
Fontana 8 City sky 47
Colton 8 City sky 48
Watsonville 8 City sky 48
Arcadia 8 City sky 48
Parkway 8 City sky 48
Bell Gardens 8 City sky 49
Blythe 8 City sky 49
Costa Mesa 8 City sky 49
Carson 8 City sky 49
San Leandro 8 City sky 49
Rancho Santa Margarita 8 City sky 49
San Bruno 8 City sky 49
Hayward 8 City sky 50
West Whittier-Los Nietos 8 City sky 50
Compton 8 City sky 50
Santa Fe Springs 8 City sky 50
Porterville 8 City sky 51
South San Jose Hills 8 City sky 51
Rialto 8 City sky 51
Hawthorne 8 City sky 51
Signal Hill 8 City sky 51
Brawley 8 City sky 51
Corona 8 City sky 52
Whittier 8 City sky 52
Monrovia 8 City sky 52
Concord 8 City sky 52
East Los Angeles 8 City sky 53
Gardena 8 City sky 54
National City 8 City sky 54
South El Monte 8 City sky 54
El Cajon 8 City sky 54
Oakdale 8 City sky 55
Tulare 8 City sky 55
Artesia 8 City sky 55
Salinas 8 City sky 55
Covina 8 City sky 55
Hanford 8 City sky 56
West Covina 8 City sky 56
Escondido 8 City sky 57
Fullerton 8 City sky 58
Chino 8 City sky 58
Walnut Park 8 City sky 58
Azusa 8 City sky 58
Downey 8 City sky 58
Ontario 8 City sky 59
Bloomington 8 City sky 59
Lennox 8 City sky 59
Lynwood 8 City sky 59
El Centro 8 City sky 60
South Gate 8 City sky 60
Palmdale 8 City sky 61
Alhambra 8 City sky 61
Oxnard 8 City sky 61
Palm Desert 8 City sky 62
Coachella 8 City sky 62
Redding 8 City sky 62
Walnut Creek 8 City sky 63
Inglewood 8 City sky 63
Paramount 8 City sky 63
Maywood 8 City sky 63
Turlock 8 City sky 63
Bell 8 City sky 64
Merced 8 City sky 64
La Puente 8 City sky 64
Riverside 8 City sky 66
Redlands 8 City sky 67
Emeryville 8 City sky 68
Buena Park 8 City sky 71
Anaheim 8 City sky 72
Santa Ana 8 City sky 75
Huntington Park 8 City sky 75
Stockton 8 City sky 75
Duarte 8 City sky 77
El Monte 8 City sky 78
Lancaster 8 City sky 79
Palm Springs 8 City sky 80
Cudahy 8 City sky 80
Long Beach 8 City sky 81
San Francisco 8 City sky 81
South San Francisco 8 City sky 82
Milpitas 8 City sky 82
Modesto 8 City sky 83
Calexico 8 City sky 86
Glendale 8 City sky 89
San Bernardino 8 City sky 89
Indio 8 City sky 90
Bakersfield 8 City sky 90
Santa Monica 8 City sky 91
Oakland 8 City sky 92
San Jose 8 City sky 97
Commerce 8 City sky 98
San Diego 8 City sky 99
Pasadena 9 Inner-city sky 101
Burbank 9 Inner-city sky 112
Sacramento 9 Inner-city sky 121
Los Angeles 9 Inner-city sky 149

Frequently asked questions

Where are the darkest skies in California?
The darkest town tracked here is Bayside. 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 California have?
Of 485 towns rated here, 5 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

Learn to read the Bortle scale, check the meteor shower calendar, or search all towns from the home page.