Stargaze Atlas

Atlanta, GA — light pollution & stargazing across the metro

Georgia · Very poor — city glow · 59 towns · 2,269,174 people in this light dome

The Atlanta, GA light dome covers 59 towns and about 2,269,174 people rated together, reading roughly Bortle 9 — a inner-city sky (very poor — city glow) — at Atlanta itself, measured from VIIRS 2024 satellite night-lights. The darkest edge of this same dome is South Fulton, about 20 mi out, at roughly Bortle 3. The nearest certified dark-sky destination is Obed Wild and Scenic River, about 160 mi away. Tonight's Moon phase, cloud cover, and aurora odds load live below, computed in your browser.

Stargazing at the Atlanta core tonight

Light-pollution reading — dome core Atlanta, GA · VIIRS 2024
Estimated Bortle class (core)
9 of 9

Inner-city sky.

VIIRS radiance (core)
188 nW/cm²/sr
Naked-eye limiting mag. (core)
under 4.1
Darkest edge of this dome
South Fulton · B3 · 20 mi

What you can see from the Atlanta core

Only the Moon, the bright planets, and a scattering of the very brightest stars pierce the glow. For real stargazing you'll want to drive to a darker site.

At an estimated Bortle 9, the faintest stars visible from Atlanta itself on a clear, moonless night run to about magnitude 4.0 or brighter, and the Milky Way is not visible. South Fulton is a regional drive away (20 mi) and improves to roughly Bortle 3.

Of the 59 towns rated in this dome, most read Bortle 7 (29 towns) — spread across 6 darkness classes overall. Beyond Atlanta itself, South Fulton, Sandy Springs, Roswell round out the largest towns sharing this same light dome.

The sky from 33.7°N

Declination above +56.3° never sets here, and below −56.3° never rises — no matter how clear the night or how long you wait.

Geometric, from 33.749°N, 84.388°W. How these are computed.

Every town in this light dome, darkest first

All 59 towns inside Atlanta's ~35-mile dome, each with its own measured reading.

Atlanta metro towns, darkest sky first.
Town State Bortle Sky Radiance
South Fulton GA 3 Rural sky 0.3
Milton GA 5 Suburban sky 4.7
Johns Creek GA 6 Bright suburban sky 12
Lithia Springs GA 6 Bright suburban sky 12
Holly Springs GA 6 Bright suburban sky 14
Redan GA 6 Bright suburban sky 16
Villa Rica GA 6 Bright suburban sky 19
Druid Hills GA 6 Bright suburban sky 20
Suwanee GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 20
Peachtree City GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 21
Acworth GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Mountain Park GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Powder Springs GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
Candler-McAfee GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
Fairburn GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
Stonecrest GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 24
Union City GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 24
Lilburn GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 25
Covington GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Loganville GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
North Decatur GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Dallas GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Canton GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Stockbridge GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
Roswell GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
Clarkston GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
McDonough GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
Sugar Hill GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Douglasville GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Mableton GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 33
Newnan GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 33
Dunwoody GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 34
Snellville GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 34
Forest Park GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Duluth GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 37
North Druid Hills GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 37
Woodstock GA 7 Suburban / urban transition 40
Scottdale GA 8 City sky 41
Conyers GA 8 City sky 42
Peachtree Corners GA 8 City sky 42
Brookhaven GA 8 City sky 44
Belvedere Park GA 8 City sky 45
Smyrna GA 8 City sky 46
Buford GA 8 City sky 47
Tucker GA 8 City sky 48
Fayetteville GA 8 City sky 50
Norcross GA 8 City sky 50
Marietta GA 8 City sky 53
East Point GA 8 City sky 54
Kennesaw GA 8 City sky 58
Lawrenceville GA 8 City sky 58
Decatur GA 8 City sky 58
Riverdale GA 8 City sky 61
Alpharetta GA 8 City sky 64
Sandy Springs GA 8 City sky 74
Chamblee GA 8 City sky 81
Doraville GA 8 City sky 81
College Park GA 9 Inner-city sky 104
Atlanta GA 9 Inner-city sky 188

Certified dark-sky destinations near Atlanta

Certified International Dark Sky Places within reach of Atlanta — nearest first.
PlaceDesignationDistance
Obed Wild and Scenic River Dark Sky Park 160 mi
Pickett Civilian Conservation Corps Memorial State Park Dark Sky Park 195 mi
Stephen C. Foster State Park Dark Sky Park 235 mi

Other light domes near Atlanta

Birmingham, AL (140 mi, core Bortle 9) , Charlotte, NC (225 mi, core Bortle 9) , and Cincinnati, OH (370 mi, core Bortle 8) are the closest other metro-scale domes tracked here — each with its own core reading and its own darkest edge.

Frequently asked questions

Can you see the Milky Way from Atlanta?
Not from Atlanta itself — at about Bortle 9 the dome is too bright. The darkest edge of the same metro is South Fulton, about 20 mi out at roughly Bortle 3, or drive to the certified Obed Wild and Scenic River (160 mi) for a genuinely dark sky.
How dark is the sky across the Atlanta metro?
It varies by how close you are to the core. Atlanta itself reads about Bortle 9; the 59 towns in this light dome range down to South Fulton at roughly Bortle 3, about 20 mi from the core. The table above sorts every town in the metro by measured darkness.
Where's the nearest certified dark-sky destination to Atlanta?
Obed Wild and Scenic River (Dark Sky Park), about 160 mi away.
How to read this rating

A satellite proxy, not a survey-grade reading. Sources and limits.

More in Georgia

All Georgia towns · Bortle scale · Tonight's Moon · Dark-sky map