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. 0 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 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

All Illinois 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.

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

Frequently asked questions

Where are the darkest skies in Illinois?
The darkest town tracked here is Roscoe. 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 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.

Explore

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