Stargaze Atlas

Illinois dark-sky map — light pollution by town

226 towns rated · darkest: Roscoe · measured from VIIRS 2024 satellite night-lights

Illinois has 226 towns rated for light pollution here, from its darkest — Roscoe (Bortle 6) — 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. It also holds 2 certified International Dark Sky Places, listed below with the nearest rated town to each. Ratings are a VIIRS satellite proxy, not survey-grade sky-brightness readings.

Statewide Illinois · VIIRS 2024
Towns rated
226

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

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

Certified dark-sky places in Illinois

2 sites in Illinois hold an International Dark Sky Place certification — awarded for actively protecting the night sky, not measured from orbit like the town ratings below. What each designation means →

Certified International Dark Sky Places in Illinois.
Place Designation Coordinates Nearest rated town Distance That town's sky
Homer Glen Dark Sky Community 41.605°N, 87.953°W Homer Glen 1 mi B6
Middle Fork River Forest Preserve Dark Sky Park 40.385°N, 87.975°W Rantoul 11 mi B7

All Illinois towns by darkness

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

Illinois towns, darkest sky first.
Sky Nearest darker sky
Roscoe 6 Bright suburban sky 8.9 Fitchburg, WI — B4, 45 mi
Glen Carbon 6 Bright suburban sky 9.0 Wildwood, MO — B5, 38 mi
Gages Lake 6 Bright suburban sky 11 Pleasant Prairie, WI — B5, 14 mi
Machesney Park 6 Bright suburban sky 12 Fitchburg, WI — B4, 48 mi
Mokena 6 Bright suburban sky 13 Cedar Lake, IN — B5, 26 mi
Lindenhurst 6 Bright suburban sky 13 Salem, WI — B5, 11 mi
Washington 6 Bright suburban sky 13 Cedar Lake, IN — B5, 110 mi
Wasco 6 Bright suburban sky 13 Salem, WI — B5, 45 mi
Homer Glen 6 Bright suburban sky 13 Cedar Lake, IN — B5, 30 mi
Channahon 6 Bright suburban sky 13 Cedar Lake, IN — B5, 41 mi
Sauk Village 6 Bright suburban sky 13 Cedar Lake, IN — B5, 11 mi
Vernon Hills 6 Bright suburban sky 14 Pleasant Prairie, WI — B5, 23 mi
Mundelein 6 Bright suburban sky 14 Pleasant Prairie, WI — B5, 20 mi
Glenview 6 Bright suburban sky 15 Pleasant Prairie, WI — B5, 34 mi
Shiloh 6 Bright suburban sky 15 Wildwood, MO — B5, 41 mi
Beach Park 6 Bright suburban sky 15 Pleasant Prairie, WI — B5, 10 mi
Bourbonnais 6 Bright suburban sky 15 Cedar Lake, IN — B5, 27 mi
Lake Forest 6 Bright suburban sky 15 Pleasant Prairie, WI — B5, 21 mi
McHenry 6 Bright suburban sky 16 Salem, WI — B5, 17 mi
Troy 6 Bright suburban sky 16 Wildwood, MO — B5, 43 mi
Round Lake 6 Bright suburban sky 16 Salem, WI — B5, 14 mi
Wauconda 6 Bright suburban sky 16 Salem, WI — B5, 21 mi
Plano 6 Bright suburban sky 16 Cedar Lake, IN — B5, 60 mi
Winnetka 6 Bright suburban sky 16 Pleasant Prairie, WI — B5, 32 mi
Round Lake Beach 6 Bright suburban sky 17 Salem, WI — B5, 13 mi
Woodridge 6 Bright suburban sky 17 Cedar Lake, IN — B5, 41 mi
Lombard 6 Bright suburban sky 18 Cedar Lake, IN — B5, 46 mi
Chatham 6 Bright suburban sky 18 Wildwood, MO — B5, 91 mi
Wilmette 6 Bright suburban sky 18 Pleasant Prairie, WI — B5, 35 mi
Streamwood 6 Bright suburban sky 18 Salem, WI — B5, 37 mi
Zion 6 Bright suburban sky 18 Pleasant Prairie, WI — B5, 9 mi
Village of Campton Hills 6 Bright suburban sky 19 Salem, WI — B5, 45 mi
Grayslake 6 Bright suburban sky 19 Salem, WI — B5, 15 mi
South Elgin 6 Bright suburban sky 19 Salem, WI — B5, 40 mi
Yorkville 6 Bright suburban sky 19 Cedar Lake, IN — B5, 56 mi
Wood River 6 Bright suburban sky 20 Wildwood, MO — B5, 36 mi
Oswego 6 Bright suburban sky 20 Cedar Lake, IN — B5, 52 mi
Belvidere 7 Suburban / urban transition 20 Machesney Park — B6, 12 mi
Algonquin 7 Suburban / urban transition 21 Wauconda — B6, 10 mi
Godfrey 7 Suburban / urban transition 21 Wood River — B6, 8 mi
Bartlett 7 Suburban / urban transition 21 Streamwood — B6, 2 mi
Morris 7 Suburban / urban transition 22 Channahon — B6, 11 mi
Westchester 7 Suburban / urban transition 22 Lombard — B6, 7 mi
Rolling Meadows 7 Suburban / urban transition 22 Streamwood — B6, 9 mi
Frankfort 7 Suburban / urban transition 22 Mokena — B6, 3 mi
Northbrook 7 Suburban / urban transition 22 Glenview — B6, 5 mi
Glendale Heights 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 Lombard — B6, 4 mi
Hinsdale 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 Lombard — B6, 7 mi
Palos Heights 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 Homer Glen — B6, 9 mi
Lake Zurich 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 Wauconda — B6, 5 mi
East Moline 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 Fort Madison, IA — B6, 75 mi
Cary 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 Wauconda — B6, 6 mi
La Grange Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 Lombard — B6, 8 mi
Woodstock 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 McHenry — B6, 9 mi
Country Club Hills 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 Mokena — B6, 9 mi
Richton Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 Sauk Village — B6, 7 mi
Westmont 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 Woodridge — B6, 5 mi
New Lenox 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 Mokena — B6, 4 mi
Highland Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 Lake Forest — B6, 6 mi
Lincoln 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 Chatham — B6, 37 mi
La Grange 7 Suburban / urban transition 24 Lombard — B6, 9 mi
Cahokia 7 Suburban / urban transition 24 Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO — B6, 12 mi
Huntley 7 Suburban / urban transition 24 South Elgin — B6, 14 mi
Crest Hill 7 Suburban / urban transition 24 Homer Glen — B6, 9 mi
Taylorville 7 Suburban / urban transition 24 Chatham — B6, 24 mi
Streator 7 Suburban / urban transition 24 Channahon — B6, 38 mi
Charleston 7 Suburban / urban transition 25 Greencastle, IN — B6, 71 mi
Evanston 7 Suburban / urban transition 25 Wilmette — B6, 3 mi
Goodings Grove 7 Suburban / urban transition 25 Homer Glen — B6, 2 mi
Prospect Heights 7 Suburban / urban transition 25 Glenview — B6, 8 mi
Villa Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 Lombard — B6, 1 mi
Swansea 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 Shiloh — B6, 5 mi
Collinsville 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 Glen Carbon — B6, 5 mi
Western Springs 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 Lombard — B6, 7 mi
Warrenville 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 Woodridge — B6, 8 mi
Macomb 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Fort Madison, IA — B6, 36 mi
Hickory Hills 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Homer Glen — B6, 11 mi
Barrington 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Wauconda — B6, 7 mi
Gurnee 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Beach Park — B6, 4 mi
Herrin 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Shiloh — B6, 71 mi
Kewanee 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Washington — B6, 46 mi
Carol Stream 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Lombard — B6, 7 mi
Hanover Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Streamwood — B6, 3 mi
Waterloo 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Shiloh — B6, 21 mi
Park Ridge 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Glenview — B6, 5 mi
Minooka 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Channahon — B6, 3 mi
Sterling 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Machesney Park — B6, 51 mi
Lisle 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 Woodridge — B6, 4 mi
Wood Dale 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 Lombard — B6, 6 mi
Pontiac 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 Washington — B6, 43 mi
Columbia 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 Shiloh — B6, 18 mi
Skokie 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 Wilmette — B6, 3 mi
North Peoria 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 Washington — B6, 9 mi
West Chicago 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 South Elgin — B6, 9 mi
Hoffman Estates 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 Streamwood — B6, 5 mi
Dixon 7 Suburban / urban transition 29 Machesney Park — B6, 42 mi
Freeport 7 Suburban / urban transition 29 Monroe, WI — B6, 21 mi
Homewood 7 Suburban / urban transition 29 Sauk Village — B6, 7 mi
Morton Grove 7 Suburban / urban transition 29 Glenview — B6, 2 mi
Romeoville 7 Suburban / urban transition 29 Woodridge — B6, 7 mi
Carpentersville 7 Suburban / urban transition 29 Streamwood — B6, 8 mi
Loves Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 29 Machesney Park — B6, 2 mi
Lemont 7 Suburban / urban transition 29 Woodridge — B6, 6 mi
Glen Ellyn 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 Lombard — B6, 3 mi
Fox Lake 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 Round Lake Beach — B6, 5 mi
Matteson 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 Sauk Village — B6, 8 mi
Oak Forest 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 Mokena — B6, 9 mi
Pekin 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 Washington — B6, 15 mi
Batavia 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 Village of Campton Hills — B6, 7 mi
Upper Alton 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 Wood River — B6, 5 mi
North Aurora 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 Oswego — B6, 9 mi
Shorewood 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 Channahon — B6, 6 mi
Downers Grove 7 Suburban / urban transition 31 Woodridge — B6, 5 mi
Deerfield 7 Suburban / urban transition 31 Lake Forest — B6, 6 mi
Libertyville 7 Suburban / urban transition 31 Mundelein — B6, 3 mi
Darien 7 Suburban / urban transition 31 Woodridge — B6, 4 mi
Burr Ridge 7 Suburban / urban transition 31 Woodridge — B6, 7 mi
Oak Lawn 7 Suburban / urban transition 31 Homer Glen — B6, 12 mi
Ottawa 7 Suburban / urban transition 31 Plano — B6, 27 mi
Des Plaines 7 Suburban / urban transition 32 Glenview — B6, 6 mi
Crystal Lake 7 Suburban / urban transition 32 McHenry — B6, 7 mi
Lockport 7 Suburban / urban transition 33 Homer Glen — B6, 6 mi
Markham 7 Suburban / urban transition 33 Sauk Village — B6, 10 mi
O'Fallon 7 Suburban / urban transition 33 Shiloh — B6, 2 mi
Bensenville 7 Suburban / urban transition 33 Lombard — B6, 6 mi
Palos Hills 7 Suburban / urban transition 33 Homer Glen — B6, 9 mi
Midlothian 7 Suburban / urban transition 34 Mokena — B6, 11 mi
Tinley Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 34 Mokena — B6, 6 mi
River Forest 7 Suburban / urban transition 34 Lombard — B6, 10 mi
Antioch 7 Suburban / urban transition 34 Salem, WI — B5, 5 mi
Norridge 7 Suburban / urban transition 35 Glenview — B6, 8 mi
Brookfield 7 Suburban / urban transition 35 Lombard — B6, 9 mi
Park Forest 7 Suburban / urban transition 35 Sauk Village — B6, 6 mi
Rantoul 7 Suburban / urban transition 35 Bourbonnais — B6, 60 mi
Roselle 7 Suburban / urban transition 35 Streamwood — B6, 6 mi
Mount Prospect 7 Suburban / urban transition 35 Glenview — B6, 8 mi
DeKalb 7 Suburban / urban transition 36 Wasco — B6, 18 mi
Waukegan 7 Suburban / urban transition 36 Beach Park — B6, 4 mi
Bloomingdale 7 Suburban / urban transition 36 Lombard — B6, 7 mi
Riverdale 7 Suburban / urban transition 36 Sauk Village — B6, 11 mi
Edwardsville 7 Suburban / urban transition 36 Glen Carbon — B6, 5 mi
Worth 7 Suburban / urban transition 36 Homer Glen — B6, 10 mi
Lyons 7 Suburban / urban transition 37 Lombard — B6, 11 mi
Geneva 7 Suburban / urban transition 37 Village of Campton Hills — B6, 6 mi
Canton 7 Suburban / urban transition 37 Washington — B6, 34 mi
Montgomery 7 Suburban / urban transition 37 Oswego — B6, 3 mi
Jacksonville 7 Suburban / urban transition 38 Chatham — B6, 28 mi
Calumet City 7 Suburban / urban transition 38 Sauk Village — B6, 9 mi
Marion 7 Suburban / urban transition 38 Shiloh — B6, 78 mi
Mattoon 7 Suburban / urban transition 39 Chatham — B6, 72 mi
Schaumburg 7 Suburban / urban transition 39 Streamwood — B6, 5 mi
Justice 7 Suburban / urban transition 39 Woodridge — B6, 11 mi
Morton 7 Suburban / urban transition 39 Washington — B6, 7 mi
Bradley 7 Suburban / urban transition 40 Bourbonnais — B6, 2 mi
Lansing 7 Suburban / urban transition 40 Sauk Village — B6, 6 mi
River Grove 8 City sky 40 River Forest — B7, 2 mi
Centralia 8 City sky 42 Shiloh — B6, 41 mi
Mount Vernon 8 City sky 42 Herrin — B7, 36 mi
Oak Park 8 City sky 42 River Forest — B7, 2 mi
Burbank 8 City sky 42 Oak Lawn — B7, 2 mi
St. Charles 8 City sky 42 Geneva — B7, 2 mi
Palatine 8 City sky 42 Rolling Meadows — B7, 2 mi
South Holland 8 City sky 42 Riverdale — B7, 3 mi
Buffalo Grove 8 City sky 42 Prospect Heights — B7, 4 mi
Northlake 8 City sky 43 Bensenville — B7, 4 mi
East Peoria 8 City sky 43 North Peoria — B7, 4 mi
Elmhurst 8 City sky 44 Villa Park — B7, 3 mi
Naperville 8 City sky 44 Warrenville — B7, 3 mi
Hazel Crest 8 City sky 44 Country Club Hills — B7, 1 mi
Effingham 8 City sky 45 Mattoon — B7, 27 mi
Sycamore 8 City sky 46 DeKalb — B7, 5 mi
Arlington Heights 8 City sky 46 Rolling Meadows — B7, 2 mi
Wheaton 8 City sky 46 Glen Ellyn — B7, 2 mi
Alton 8 City sky 46 Upper Alton — B7, 2 mi
Lake in the Hills 8 City sky 47 Algonquin — B7, 2 mi
Chicago Heights 8 City sky 48 Park Forest — B7, 2 mi
Maywood 8 City sky 48 River Forest — B7, 2 mi
Galesburg 8 City sky 48 Kewanee — B7, 31 mi
Plainfield 8 City sky 50 Romeoville — B7, 6 mi
Crestwood 8 City sky 50 Midlothian — B7, 2 mi
Lincolnwood 8 City sky 50 Skokie — B7, 2 mi
Blue Island 8 City sky 51 Riverdale — B7, 3 mi
Elmwood Park 8 City sky 51 River Forest — B7, 2 mi
Danville 8 City sky 51 Rantoul — B7, 31 mi
Evergreen Park 8 City sky 51 Oak Lawn — B7, 3 mi
Dolton 8 City sky 52 Riverdale — B7, 1 mi
Franklin Park 8 City sky 52 Norridge — B7, 3 mi
Decatur 8 City sky 53 Taylorville — B7, 27 mi
North Chicago 8 City sky 53 Waukegan — B7, 3 mi
Bellwood 8 City sky 53 Westchester — B7, 2 mi
Fairview Heights 8 City sky 53 Swansea — B7, 4 mi
Aurora 8 City sky 54 Montgomery — B7, 3 mi
Berwyn 8 City sky 55 Lyons — B7, 3 mi
Bolingbrook 8 City sky 55 Woodridge — B6, 4 mi
Schiller Park 8 City sky 55 Norridge — B7, 2 mi
Harvey 8 City sky 55 Riverdale — B7, 2 mi
Niles 8 City sky 55 Morton Grove — B7, 2 mi
Chicago Ridge 8 City sky 57 Worth — B7, 1 mi
Urbana 8 City sky 58 Rantoul — B7, 14 mi
Belleville 8 City sky 58 Swansea — B7, 1 mi
Kankakee 8 City sky 58 Bradley — B7, 2 mi
Rock Island 8 City sky 58 Bettendorf, IA — B7, 3 mi
East Saint Louis 8 City sky 58 Cahokia — B7, 4 mi
Carbondale 8 City sky 59 Herrin — B7, 12 mi
Addison 8 City sky 61 Wood Dale — B7, 2 mi
Melrose Park 8 City sky 61 River Forest — B7, 2 mi
Elk Grove Village 8 City sky 62 Wood Dale — B7, 3 mi
Alsip 8 City sky 62 Palos Heights — B7, 3 mi
Bridgeview 8 City sky 63 Justice — B7, 2 mi
Forest Park 8 City sky 63 River Forest — B7, 1 mi
Orland Park 8 City sky 64 Palos Heights — B7, 4 mi
Wheeling 8 City sky 64 Prospect Heights — B7, 3 mi
Bloomington 8 City sky 64 Morton — B7, 26 mi
Moline 8 City sky 67 Bettendorf, IA — B7, 1 mi
Normal 8 City sky 70 Washington — B6, 26 mi
Granite City 8 City sky 75 Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO — B6, 5 mi
Rockford 8 City sky 75 Loves Park — B7, 4 mi
Summit 8 City sky 75 Lyons — B7, 2 mi
Quincy 8 City sky 75 Hannibal, MO — B7, 16 mi
Elgin 8 City sky 80 South Elgin — B6, 3 mi
Joliet 8 City sky 88 Crest Hill — B7, 2 mi
Cicero 9 Inner-city sky 100 Berwyn — B8, 2 mi
Champaign 9 Inner-city sky 105 Urbana — B8, 2 mi
Chicago 9 Inner-city sky 108 Oak Park — B8, 7 mi
Springfield 9 Inner-city sky 111 Chatham — B6, 9 mi
Peoria 9 Inner-city sky 175 North Peoria — B7, 2 mi

Frequently asked questions

Where are the darkest skies in Illinois?
The darkest town tracked here is Roscoe, but the genuinely dark skies in Illinois are its 2 certified International Dark Sky Places — Homer Glen, Middle Fork River Forest Preserve — listed further down with the nearest rated town to each.
How many dark-sky towns does Illinois have?
Of 226 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.

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