Stargaze Atlas

Dark-sky map of the United States

An interactive light-pollution map of the United States: all 4,338 rated towns shaded by their measured darkness class over NASA's satellite night-lights, plus every certified International Dark Sky Place — the genuinely dark destinations, since no town of 10,000+ people sits under a truly dark sky. Click anywhere to get the nearest town's Bortle rating, toggle the night-lights glow, and browse the full list of certified Dark-Sky Parks, Reserves, Sanctuaries, and Communities with the nearest town to each.

About the map

The glow is real satellite data — NASA's VIIRS "Black Marble" night-lights — so you can see where light pollution spreads and, more usefully, where it doesn't. Every one of 4,338 rated towns is a dot shaded from bright green (dark, good for stargazing) to red (city glow), and the ★ pins are the 92 certified International Dark Sky Places — the genuinely dark destinations, since no town of 10,000+ people sits under a truly dark sky. Click anywhere to get the nearest rated town.

Interactive dark-sky map

4,338 towns · 92 certified Dark-Sky Places · live NASA night-lights

Loads NASA and USGS map tiles only when you open it — the page stays fast and private until then.

Darkness dots are a VIIRS satellite proxy measured at each town center, not a survey-grade sky-brightness reading. Map tiles: NASA EOSDIS GIBS (VIIRS Black Marble) and USGS The National Map — both public domain.

Certified Dark-Sky Places in the U.S.

92 places across 23 states carry an official International Dark Sky Place certification from DarkSky International — parks, reserves, sanctuaries, and communities that actively protect their night skies. These are the true dark-sky destinations: unlike our rated towns, they sit under genuinely dark skies. Distances are to the nearest rated town.

Certified International Dark Sky Places in the United States, by state.
PlaceDesignationStateNearest town
Buffalo National River Dark Sky Park Arkansas Harrison · 24 mi
Camp Verde Dark Sky Community Arizona Camp Verde · 0 mi
Chiricahua National Monument Dark Sky Park Arizona Douglas · 47 mi
Flagstaff Dark Sky Community Arizona Flagstaff · 1 mi
Flagstaff Area National Monuments Dark Sky Park Arizona Flagstaff · 28 mi
Fountain Hills Dark Sky Community Arizona Fountain Hills · 1 mi
Grand Canyon National Park Dark Sky Park Arizona Flagstaff · 65 mi
Kartchner Caverns State Park Dark Sky Park Arizona Sierra Vista · 20 mi
Oracle State Park Dark Sky Park Arizona Saddlebrooke · 19 mi
Petrified Forest National Park Dark Sky Park Arizona Show Low · 59 mi
Sedona Dark Sky Community Arizona West Sedona · 1 mi
Tonto National Monument Dark Sky Park Arizona Gold Camp · 28 mi
Tumacácori National Historical Park Dark Sky Park Arizona Rio Rico · 8 mi
Village of Oak Creek Dark Sky Community Arizona Sedona · 6 mi
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Dark Sky Park California San Diego Country Estates · 28 mi
Borrego Springs Dark Sky Community California La Quinta · 29 mi
Joshua Tree National Park Dark Sky Park California Twentynine Palms · 20 mi
Arches National Park Dark Sky Park Colorado Fruita · 53 mi
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Dark Sky Park Colorado Montrose · 11 mi
Canyonlands National Park Dark Sky Park Colorado Fruita · 88 mi
Capulin Volcano National Monument Dark Sky Park Colorado Pueblo · 110 mi
Dead Horse Point State Park Dark Sky Park Colorado Fruita · 70 mi
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument Dark Sky Park Colorado Colorado Springs · 26 mi
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Dark Sky Park Colorado Cañon City · 44 mi
Mesa Verde National Park Dark Sky Park Colorado Durango · 34 mi
Naturita Dark Sky Community Colorado Montrose · 41 mi
Norwood Dark Sky Community Colorado Montrose · 33 mi
Nucla Dark Sky Community Colorado Montrose · 39 mi
Silver Cliff Dark Sky Community Colorado Cañon City · 24 mi
Westcliffe Dark Sky Community Colorado Cañon City · 25 mi
Big Cypress National Preserve Dark Sky Park Florida Immokalee · 37 mi
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park Dark Sky Park Florida Sebring · 23 mi
Stephen C. Foster State Park Dark Sky Park Georgia Waycross · 27 mi
Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve Dark Sky Reserve Idaho Boise · 73 mi
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve Dark Sky Park Idaho Blackfoot · 64 mi
Ketchum Dark Sky Community Idaho Jerome · 66 mi
Homer Glen Dark Sky Community Illinois Homer Glen · 1 mi
Middle Fork River Forest Preserve Dark Sky Park Illinois Rantoul · 11 mi
Beverly Shores Dark Sky Community Indiana Michigan City · 5 mi
Potawatomi Wildlife Park Dark-sky preserve Indiana Warsaw · 13 mi
Pickett Civilian Conservation Corps Memorial State Park Dark Sky Park Kentucky Somerset · 39 mi
Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Dark Sky Sanctuary Maine Bangor · 81 mi
Lake Hudson State Recreation Area Dark-sky preserve Michigan Adrian · 11 mi
Negwegon State Park Dark-sky preserve Michigan Alpena · 15 mi
The Headlands Dark Sky Park Michigan Sault Ste. Marie · 53 mi
Thompson's Harbor State Park Dark-sky preserve Michigan Alpena · 20 mi
Voyageurs National Park Dark Sky Park Minnesota Hibbing · 74 mi
Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park Dark Sky Park Montana Kalispell · 58 mi
Staunton River State Park Dark Sky Park North Carolina Henderson · 30 mi
Chaco Culture National Historical Park Dark Sky Park New Mexico Farmington · 48 mi
Cosmic Campground Dark Sky Sanctuary New Mexico Silver City · 62 mi
El Morro National Monument Dark Sky Park New Mexico Gallup · 40 mi
Fort Union National Monument Dark Sky Park New Mexico Las Vegas · 25 mi
Goosenecks State Park Dark Sky Park New Mexico Farmington · 99 mi
Hovenweep National Monument Dark Sky Park New Mexico Farmington · 65 mi
Natural Bridges National Monument Dark Sky Park New Mexico Farmington · 115 mi
Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument Dark Sky Park New Mexico Los Lunas · 53 mi
Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge Urban Night Sky Place New Mexico Albuquerque · 3 mi
Valles Caldera National Preserve Dark Sky Park New Mexico Los Alamos · 15 mi
Death Valley National Park Dark Sky Park Nevada Pahrump · 51 mi
Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument Dark Sky Park Nevada Mesquite · 35 mi
Cherry Springs State Park Dark Sky Park Pennsylvania Saint Marys · 41 mi
Obed Wild and Scenic River Dark Sky Park Tennessee Crossville · 19 mi
Big Bend National Park Dark Sky Park Texas Del Rio · 140 mi
Big Bend Ranch State Park Dark Sky Park Texas West Odessa · 190 mi
Clayton Lake State Park Dark Sky Park Texas Dumas · 89 mi
Copper Breaks State Park Dark Sky Park Texas Vernon · 28 mi
Devils River State Natural Area Dark Sky Sanctuary Texas Del Rio · 40 mi
Dripping Springs Dark Sky Community Texas Lakeway · 13 mi
Enchanted Rock State Natural Area Dark Sky Park Texas Fredericksburg · 16 mi
Horseshoe Bay Dark Sky Community Texas Lakeway · 26 mi
South Llano River State Park Dark Sky Park Texas Kerrville · 48 mi
Antelope Island State Park Dark Sky Park Utah Syracuse · 12 mi
Bryce Canyon National Park Dark Sky Park Utah Cedar City · 49 mi
Capitol Reef National Park Dark Sky Park Utah Cedar City · 110 mi
Cedar Breaks National Monument Dark Sky Park Utah Cedar City · 12 mi
Dinosaur National Monument Dark Sky Park Utah Vernal · 29 mi
East Canyon State Park Dark Sky Park Utah Centerville · 15 mi
Goblin Valley State Park Dark Sky Park Utah Santaquin · 115 mi
Great Basin National Park Dark Sky Park Utah Cedar City · 110 mi
Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians Dark Sky Community Utah Hurricane · 38 mi
Kodachrome Basin State Park Dark Sky Park Utah Cedar City · 59 mi
Pipe Spring National Monument Dark Sky Park Utah Hurricane · 37 mi
Rainbow Bridge National Monument Dark Sky Sanctuary Utah Cedar City · 120 mi
Rockport State Park Dark Sky Park Utah East Millcreek · 22 mi
Steinaker State Park Dark Sky Park Utah Vernal · 4 mi
Timpanogos Cave National Monument Urban Night Sky Place Utah Cedar Hills · 3 mi
Torrey Dark Sky Community Utah Cedar City · 99 mi
Weber County North Fork Park Dark Sky Park Utah North Ogden · 5 mi
Zion National Park Dark Sky Park Utah Hurricane · 17 mi
James River State Park Dark Sky Park Virginia Madison Heights · 21 mi
Newport State Park Dark Sky Park Wisconsin Marinette · 32 mi

How to read the map

The night-lights layer shows upward radiance — the light escaping to space — which is what washes out the stars. Dark regions read black; cities blaze. Our town dots translate that same VIIRS measurement into a Bortle darkness class at each town's center. It's an honest satellite proxy for planning, not a survey-grade sky-brightness reading — see the methodology for exactly how the mapping works. For a real dark sky, aim for one of the certified Dark-Sky Places above, on a clear night near the new Moon.