Stargaze Atlas

Maryland dark-sky map — light pollution by town

136 towns rated · darkest: Green Valley · measured from VIIRS 2024 satellite night-lights

Maryland has 136 towns rated for light pollution here, from its darkest — Green Valley (Bortle 4) — to its brightest city cores. 3 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 Maryland · VIIRS 2024
Towns rated
136

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

Darkest town
Green Valley
Genuinely dark towns
3

All Maryland 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.

Maryland towns, darkest sky first.
Sky
Green Valley 4 Rural / suburban transition 2.0
Chesapeake Ranch Estates-Drum Point 4 Rural / suburban transition 2.1
Chesapeake Ranch Estates 4 Rural / suburban transition 2.2
Ocean Pines 5 Suburban sky 3.0
Bennsville 5 Suburban sky 3.4
Fort Washington 5 Suburban sky 3.9
North Potomac 5 Suburban sky 4.4
Ilchester 5 Suburban sky 4.7
Travilah 5 Suburban sky 5.2
Accokeek 5 Suburban sky 5.3
Lake Shore 5 Suburban sky 6.1
Greater Upper Marlboro 6 Bright suburban sky 8.2
Rosaryville 6 Bright suburban sky 8.2
Bel Air North 6 Bright suburban sky 8.3
Crofton 6 Bright suburban sky 10
Ellicott City 6 Bright suburban sky 11
Pasadena 6 Bright suburban sky 12
Mays Chapel 6 Bright suburban sky 12
Joppatowne 6 Bright suburban sky 13
Elkridge 6 Bright suburban sky 13
Mitchellville 6 Bright suburban sky 13
Arnold 6 Bright suburban sky 13
Cloverly 6 Bright suburban sky 13
Maryland City 6 Bright suburban sky 13
Saint Charles 6 Bright suburban sky 14
Milford Mill 6 Bright suburban sky 14
Severna Park 6 Bright suburban sky 15
Severn 6 Bright suburban sky 16
Cambridge 6 Bright suburban sky 16
Lutherville-Timonium 6 Bright suburban sky 16
Edgewood 6 Bright suburban sky 16
Kemp Mill 6 Bright suburban sky 17
Kettering 6 Bright suburban sky 17
Green Haven 6 Bright suburban sky 18
Halfway 6 Bright suburban sky 18
Montgomery Village 6 Bright suburban sky 18
Oxon Hill-Glassmanor 6 Bright suburban sky 18
St. Charles 6 Bright suburban sky 18
Randallstown 6 Bright suburban sky 18
Riviera Beach 6 Bright suburban sky 18
Colesville 6 Bright suburban sky 20
Lochearn 6 Bright suburban sky 20
Columbia 7 Suburban / urban transition 20
Reisterstown 7 Suburban / urban transition 21
South Laurel 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Ballenger Creek 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Hanover 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Odenton 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Waldorf 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Scaggsville 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Fairland 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
South Gate 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
Clinton 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
Glenn Dale 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
New Carrollton 7 Suburban / urban transition 24
Damascus 7 Suburban / urban transition 24
Perry Hall 7 Suburban / urban transition 25
Havre de Grace 7 Suburban / urban transition 25
West Elkridge 7 Suburban / urban transition 25
Greenbelt 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Potomac 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Bowie 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Clarksburg 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Catonsville 7 Suburban / urban transition 27
Essex 7 Suburban / urban transition 27
Easton 7 Suburban / urban transition 27
Hunt Valley 7 Suburban / urban transition 27
White Oak 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Overlea 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Aspen Hill 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Seabrook 7 Suburban / urban transition 29
Adelphi 7 Suburban / urban transition 29
Bel Air South 7 Suburban / urban transition 29
Westminster 7 Suburban / urban transition 29
Lanham-Seabrook 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Hillcrest Heights 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Arbutus 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Linthicum 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Takoma Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Calverton 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Lexington Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
Lanham 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
Glenmont 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
Walker Mill 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
California 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
Germantown 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Woodlawn 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Landover 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Camp Springs 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Rockville 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
East Riverdale 7 Suburban / urban transition 34
North Bethesda 7 Suburban / urban transition 34
Parkville 7 Suburban / urban transition 34
Middle River 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Rosedale 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Hyattsville 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Summerfield 7 Suburban / urban transition 37
Ferndale 7 Suburban / urban transition 37
Eldersburg 7 Suburban / urban transition 37
Aberdeen 7 Suburban / urban transition 37
Brooklyn Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 40
Gwynn Oak 8 City sky 40
Olney 8 City sky 41
Cumberland 8 City sky 42
Suitland-Silver Hill 8 City sky 42
Chillum 8 City sky 42
Elkton 8 City sky 42
Pikesville 8 City sky 43
Oxon Hill 8 City sky 43
Carney 8 City sky 44
Cockeysville 8 City sky 44
Glassmanor 8 City sky 44
Bel Air 8 City sky 45
Bethesda 8 City sky 45
Glen Burnie 8 City sky 47
Annapolis 8 City sky 47
Gaithersburg 8 City sky 49
Frederick 8 City sky 50
Rossville 8 City sky 52
Largo 8 City sky 52
Suitland 8 City sky 55
Salisbury 8 City sky 56
Forestville 8 City sky 57
Owings Mills 8 City sky 58
Wheaton 8 City sky 59
Beltsville 8 City sky 59
College Park 8 City sky 68
Langley Park 8 City sky 69
Silver Spring 8 City sky 75
Hagerstown 8 City sky 76
Parole 8 City sky 85
Laurel 8 City sky 87
Towson 8 City sky 92
Canton 9 Inner-city sky 100
Dundalk 9 Inner-city sky 186
Baltimore 9 Inner-city sky 251

Frequently asked questions

Where are the darkest skies in Maryland?
The darkest town tracked here is Green Valley. 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 Maryland have?
Of 136 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.

Explore

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