Stargaze Atlas

Hawaii dark-sky map — light pollution by town

42 towns rated · darkest: Lahaina · measured from VIIRS 2024 satellite night-lights

Hawaii has 42 towns rated for light pollution here, from its darkest — Lahaina (Bortle 4) — to its brightest city cores, with 3 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 Hawaii · VIIRS 2024
Towns rated
42

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

Darkest town
Lahaina
Genuinely dark towns
2
Certified dark-sky places
0

Nearest certified dark-sky places to Hawaii

No site in Hawaii holds an International Dark Sky Place certification. Measured from Lahaina, 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 Lahaina, Hawaii.
Place Designation State From Lahaina
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Dark Sky Park California 2,605 mi
Borrego Springs Dark Sky Community California 2,605 mi
Death Valley National Park Dark Sky Park Nevada 2,620 mi

All Hawaii towns by darkness

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

Hawaii towns, darkest sky first.
Sky Nearest darker sky
Lahaina 4 Rural / suburban transition 1.2 already the darkest nearby
Kalihi Valley 4 Rural / suburban transition 2.7 already the darkest nearby
Palolo 5 Suburban sky 3.0 Kalihi Valley — B4, 5 mi
Kuliouou - Kalani Iki 5 Suburban sky 3.1 Kalihi Valley — B4, 8 mi
Kapa‘a 5 Suburban sky 3.6 Kalihi Valley — B4, 105 mi
Waianae 5 Suburban sky 4.7 Kalihi Valley — B4, 23 mi
Nānākuli 5 Suburban sky 6.0 Kalihi Valley — B4, 20 mi
Niu Valley 5 Suburban sky 6.1 Kalihi Valley — B4, 9 mi
Hilo 5 Suburban sky 6.2 Lahaina — B4, 130 mi
Kaneohe 5 Suburban sky 7.1 Kalihi Valley — B4, 4 mi
Kīhei 5 Suburban sky 7.1 Lahaina — B4, 17 mi
East Honolulu 5 Suburban sky 7.8 Kalihi Valley — B4, 10 mi
Makakilo 5 Suburban sky 7.8 Kalihi Valley — B4, 16 mi
Kailua-Kona 6 Bright suburban sky 8.0 Hilo — B5, 59 mi
Manoa 6 Bright suburban sky 8.1 Palolo — B5, 2 mi
Wailuku 6 Bright suburban sky 9.3 Kīhei — B5, 10 mi
Mililani Mauka / Launani Valley 6 Bright suburban sky 9.9 Makakilo — B5, 11 mi
Mililani Town 6 Bright suburban sky 9.9 Makakilo — B5, 8 mi
Makakilo City 6 Bright suburban sky 10 Makakilo — B5, 0 mi
Kailua 6 Bright suburban sky 11 Kaneohe — B5, 4 mi
Village Park 6 Bright suburban sky 11 Makakilo — B5, 5 mi
Mililani Mauka 6 Bright suburban sky 13 Makakilo — B5, 11 mi
Royal Kunia 6 Bright suburban sky 13 Makakilo — B5, 5 mi
Wahiawā 6 Bright suburban sky 13 Makakilo — B5, 11 mi
Aliamanu / Salt Lakes / Foster Village 6 Bright suburban sky 15 Kalihi Valley — B4, 5 mi
‘Ewa Beach 6 Bright suburban sky 16 Makakilo — B5, 6 mi
Waipio 6 Bright suburban sky 16 Makakilo — B5, 7 mi
Schofield Barracks 6 Bright suburban sky 17 Waianae — B5, 9 mi
Hālawa Heights 6 Bright suburban sky 17 Kalihi Valley — B4, 5 mi
‘Ewa Gentry 6 Bright suburban sky 18 Makakilo — B5, 4 mi
Hālawa 6 Bright suburban sky 19 Kalihi Valley — B4, 5 mi
Kahului 6 Bright suburban sky 19 Kīhei — B5, 9 mi
Diamond Head / Kapahulu / Saint Louis Heights 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 Manoa — B6, 3 mi
Kapolei 7 Suburban / urban transition 25 ‘Ewa Gentry — B6, 2 mi
Waipahu 7 Suburban / urban transition 25 Royal Kunia — B6, 1 mi
Kapolei Villages 7 Suburban / urban transition 25 Makakilo City — B6, 1 mi
Waimalu 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 Hālawa — B6, 1 mi
Pearl City 7 Suburban / urban transition 32 Waipio — B6, 2 mi
Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam 7 Suburban / urban transition 32 Aliamanu / Salt Lakes / Foster Village — B6, 2 mi
Waikīkī 7 Suburban / urban transition 38 Manoa — B6, 3 mi
Honolulu 8 City sky 56 Waikīkī — B7, 2 mi
Hawaiian Paradise Park 1-2 Truly dark sky 0.0 already the darkest nearby

Frequently asked questions

Where are the darkest skies in Hawaii?
The darkest town tracked here is Lahaina. 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 Hawaii have?
Of 42 towns rated here, 3 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.

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