Stargaze Atlas

Michigan dark-sky map — light pollution by town

111 towns rated · darkest: West Bloomfield Township · measured from VIIRS 2024 satellite night-lights

Michigan has 111 towns rated for light pollution here, from its darkest — West Bloomfield Township (Bortle 5) — 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 4 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 Michigan · VIIRS 2024
Towns rated
111

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

Darkest town
West Bloomfield Township
Genuinely dark towns
0
Certified dark-sky places
4

Certified dark-sky places in Michigan

4 sites in Michigan 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 Michigan.
Place Designation Coordinates Nearest rated town Distance That town's sky
Lake Hudson State Recreation Area Dark-sky preserve 41.836°N, 84.242°W Adrian 11 mi B7
Negwegon State Park Dark-sky preserve 44.856°N, 83.327°W Alpena 15 mi B7
The Headlands Dark Sky Park 45.783°N, 84.783°W Sault Ste. Marie 53 mi B7
Thompson's Harbor State Park Dark-sky preserve 45.342°N, 83.568°W Alpena 20 mi B7

All Michigan towns by darkness

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

Michigan towns, darkest sky first.
Sky Nearest darker sky
West Bloomfield Township 5 Suburban sky 5.4 Caledonia, WI — B4, 230 mi
Norton Shores 5 Suburban sky 5.6 Caledonia, WI — B4, 88 mi
Farmington Hills 5 Suburban sky 7.3 Caledonia, WI — B4, 230 mi
Allendale 5 Suburban sky 7.4 Caledonia, WI — B4, 100 mi
Grosse Ile 5 Suburban sky 7.9 Caledonia, WI — B4, 250 mi
Walker 6 Bright suburban sky 8.0 Allendale — B5, 10 mi
Haslett 6 Bright suburban sky 8.2 West Bloomfield Township — B5, 53 mi
Burton 6 Bright suburban sky 8.3 West Bloomfield Township — B5, 32 mi
Portage 6 Bright suburban sky 9.3 Allendale — B5, 57 mi
Clinton Township 6 Bright suburban sky 10 West Bloomfield Township — B5, 24 mi
Troy 6 Bright suburban sky 11 West Bloomfield Township — B5, 12 mi
Waterford 6 Bright suburban sky 11 West Bloomfield Township — B5, 9 mi
Saginaw Township North 6 Bright suburban sky 12 West Bloomfield Township — B5, 69 mi
New Baltimore 6 Bright suburban sky 14 West Bloomfield Township — B5, 34 mi
East Grand Rapids 6 Bright suburban sky 15 Allendale — B5, 18 mi
Auburn Hills 6 Bright suburban sky 15 West Bloomfield Township — B5, 11 mi
Comstock Park 6 Bright suburban sky 15 Allendale — B5, 15 mi
Grand Haven 6 Bright suburban sky 17 Norton Shores — B5, 8 mi
Rochester Hills 6 Bright suburban sky 17 West Bloomfield Township — B5, 13 mi
Holt 6 Bright suburban sky 17 West Bloomfield Township — B5, 58 mi
Beecher 6 Bright suburban sky 17 West Bloomfield Township — B5, 39 mi
Northview 6 Bright suburban sky 18 Allendale — B5, 19 mi
Canton 6 Bright suburban sky 18 Farmington Hills — B5, 13 mi
Muskegon Heights 6 Bright suburban sky 18 Norton Shores — B5, 3 mi
Kentwood 6 Bright suburban sky 18 Allendale — B5, 17 mi
Romulus 6 Bright suburban sky 18 Grosse Ile — B5, 14 mi
Beverly Hills 6 Bright suburban sky 19 Farmington Hills — B5, 8 mi
Cadillac 6 Bright suburban sky 19 Norton Shores — B5, 86 mi
Okemos 6 Bright suburban sky 19 West Bloomfield Township — B5, 54 mi
Saint Clair Shores 6 Bright suburban sky 20 Farmington Hills — B5, 25 mi
Niles 6 Bright suburban sky 20 Cedar Lake, IN — B5, 69 mi
Fenton 7 Suburban / urban transition 20 Burton — B6, 15 mi
Forest Hills 7 Suburban / urban transition 21 East Grand Rapids — B6, 6 mi
Big Rapids 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 Cadillac — B6, 39 mi
South Lyon 7 Suburban / urban transition 24 Canton — B6, 14 mi
Traverse City 7 Suburban / urban transition 24 Cadillac — B6, 37 mi
Cutlerville 7 Suburban / urban transition 24 Kentwood — B6, 2 mi
Alpena 7 Suburban / urban transition 24 Cadillac — B6, 110 mi
Escanaba 7 Suburban / urban transition 24 Suamico, WI — B5, 90 mi
Wixom 7 Suburban / urban transition 25 West Bloomfield Township — B5, 8 mi
Adrian 7 Suburban / urban transition 25 Sylvania, OH — B6, 21 mi
Clawson 7 Suburban / urban transition 25 Beverly Hills — B6, 4 mi
Owosso 7 Suburban / urban transition 25 Haslett — B6, 21 mi
Riverview 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 Grosse Ile — B5, 4 mi
Midland 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 Saginaw Township North — B6, 16 mi
Harper Woods 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Saint Clair Shores — B6, 5 mi
Berkley 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Beverly Hills — B6, 3 mi
Southgate 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Grosse Ile — B5, 6 mi
Muskegon 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 Muskegon Heights — B6, 2 mi
Saginaw 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 Saginaw Township North — B6, 4 mi
Coldwater 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 Portage — B6, 35 mi
Sault Ste. Marie 7 Suburban / urban transition 29 Cadillac — B6, 165 mi
Westland 7 Suburban / urban transition 29 Canton — B6, 4 mi
Fraser 7 Suburban / urban transition 29 Clinton Township — B6, 4 mi
Farmington 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 Farmington Hills — B5, 1 mi
Mount Pleasant 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 Saginaw Township North — B6, 39 mi
Port Huron 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 New Baltimore — B6, 26 mi
Grosse Pointe Woods 7 Suburban / urban transition 31 Saint Clair Shores — B6, 4 mi
Marquette 7 Suburban / urban transition 31 Suamico, WI — B5, 135 mi
Grosse Pointe Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 31 Saint Clair Shores — B6, 9 mi
Southfield 7 Suburban / urban transition 32 Beverly Hills — B6, 4 mi
Holland 7 Suburban / urban transition 32 Allendale — B5, 15 mi
Garden City 7 Suburban / urban transition 32 Canton — B6, 8 mi
Grandville 7 Suburban / urban transition 32 Walker — B6, 6 mi
Monroe 7 Suburban / urban transition 32 Grosse Ile — B5, 20 mi
Shelby 7 Suburban / urban transition 33 Rochester Hills — B6, 6 mi
Sturgis 7 Suburban / urban transition 33 Portage — B6, 29 mi
Trenton 7 Suburban / urban transition 33 Grosse Ile — B5, 2 mi
Ionia 7 Suburban / urban transition 34 Northview — B6, 27 mi
Ypsilanti 7 Suburban / urban transition 34 Canton — B6, 8 mi
Wyoming 7 Suburban / urban transition 34 Kentwood — B6, 4 mi
Jenison 7 Suburban / urban transition 36 Walker — B6, 7 mi
Allen Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 36 Grosse Ile — B5, 10 mi
Warren 7 Suburban / urban transition 37 Saint Clair Shores — B6, 6 mi
Madison Heights 7 Suburban / urban transition 37 Beverly Hills — B6, 7 mi
Eastpointe 7 Suburban / urban transition 38 Saint Clair Shores — B6, 4 mi
Taylor 7 Suburban / urban transition 39 Romulus — B6, 7 mi
Inkster 7 Suburban / urban transition 39 Romulus — B6, 7 mi
Lincoln Park 8 City sky 40 Allen Park — B7, 2 mi
Dearborn Heights 8 City sky 41 Garden City — B7, 3 mi
Melvindale 8 City sky 41 Allen Park — B7, 3 mi
Rochester 8 City sky 42 Rochester Hills — B6, 2 mi
Ferndale 8 City sky 43 Madison Heights — B7, 2 mi
Battle Creek 8 City sky 43 Portage — B6, 22 mi
Roseville 8 City sky 43 Eastpointe — B7, 2 mi
Waverly 8 City sky 44 Holt — B6, 9 mi
Redford 8 City sky 45 Garden City — B7, 4 mi
Woodhaven 8 City sky 47 Trenton — B7, 3 mi
Oak Park 8 City sky 48 Southfield — B7, 2 mi
Jackson 8 City sky 48 Holt — B6, 28 mi
Wyandotte 8 City sky 49 Southgate — B7, 2 mi
Birmingham 8 City sky 50 Beverly Hills — B6, 2 mi
Hazel Park 8 City sky 50 Madison Heights — B7, 2 mi
Bay City 8 City sky 50 Saginaw Township North — B6, 11 mi
Hamtramck 8 City sky 51 Grosse Pointe Park — B7, 6 mi
Livonia 8 City sky 51 Garden City — B7, 3 mi
Novi 8 City sky 53 Wixom — B7, 4 mi
Pontiac 8 City sky 54 Auburn Hills — B6, 4 mi
Flint 8 City sky 55 Burton — B6, 4 mi
Highland Park 8 City sky 55 Madison Heights — B7, 6 mi
Wayne 8 City sky 56 Westland — B7, 3 mi
Kalamazoo 8 City sky 64 Portage — B6, 6 mi
Sterling Heights 8 City sky 65 Fraser — B7, 5 mi
Mount Clemens 8 City sky 70 Clinton Township — B6, 2 mi
East Lansing 8 City sky 72 Okemos — B6, 3 mi
Royal Oak 8 City sky 72 Madison Heights — B7, 2 mi
Dearborn 8 City sky 78 Allen Park — B7, 5 mi
Ann Arbor 8 City sky 86 Ypsilanti — B7, 7 mi
Grand Rapids 9 Inner-city sky 112 East Grand Rapids — B6, 3 mi
Lansing 9 Inner-city sky 145 Waverly — B8, 3 mi
Detroit 9 Inner-city sky 347 Hamtramck — B8, 4 mi

Frequently asked questions

Where are the darkest skies in Michigan?
The darkest town tracked here is West Bloomfield Township, but the genuinely dark skies in Michigan are its 4 certified International Dark Sky Places — Lake Hudson State Recreation Area, Negwegon State Park, The Headlands, Thompson's Harbor State Park — listed further down with the nearest rated town to each.
How many dark-sky towns does Michigan have?
Of 111 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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