Stargaze Atlas

New York dark-sky map — light pollution by town

219 towns rated · darkest: Glenville · measured from VIIRS 2024 satellite night-lights

New York has 219 towns rated for light pollution here, from its darkest — Glenville (Bortle 4) — to its brightest city cores. 5 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 New York · VIIRS 2024
Towns rated
219

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

Darkest town
Glenville
Genuinely dark towns
5

All New York 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.

New York towns, darkest sky first.
Sky
Glenville 4 Rural / suburban transition 0.8
Queensbury 4 Rural / suburban transition 1.0
Manorville 4 Rural / suburban transition 2.4
Woodbury 4 Rural / suburban transition 2.4
Wawarsing 4 Rural / suburban transition 2.7
Cortlandt Manor 5 Suburban sky 3.3
Clay 5 Suburban sky 3.4
North Castle 5 Suburban sky 3.9
Hampton Bays 5 Suburban sky 4.2
Miller Place 5 Suburban sky 5.3
Fort Drum 5 Suburban sky 5.4
Jefferson Valley-Yorktown 5 Suburban sky 5.4
Fort Salonga 5 Suburban sky 5.6
Wilton 5 Suburban sky 5.8
Greenburgh 5 Suburban sky 6.7
Mount Sinai 5 Suburban sky 7.1
Stony Brook 5 Suburban sky 7.1
Setauket-East Setauket 5 Suburban sky 7.7
Ridge 5 Suburban sky 7.8
Canandaigua 6 Bright suburban sky 8.9
Fallsburg 6 Bright suburban sky 9.2
Lake Ronkonkoma 6 Bright suburban sky 9.9
Bohemia 6 Bright suburban sky 10
Port Washington 6 Bright suburban sky 10
Ronkonkoma 6 Bright suburban sky 10
Dix Hills 6 Bright suburban sky 11
Fredonia 6 Bright suburban sky 11
Henrietta 6 Bright suburban sky 11
Mastic Beach 6 Bright suburban sky 11
Mastic 6 Bright suburban sky 11
Rocky Point 6 Bright suburban sky 11
Vestal 6 Bright suburban sky 11
Scarsdale 6 Bright suburban sky 11
West Henrietta 6 Bright suburban sky 11
Saint James 6 Bright suburban sky 12
Cicero 6 Bright suburban sky 12
Lake Grove 6 Bright suburban sky 12
Wykagyl 6 Bright suburban sky 13
Dunkirk 6 Bright suburban sky 13
Irondequoit 6 Bright suburban sky 13
East Setauket 6 Bright suburban sky 13
North Bellport 6 Bright suburban sky 13
Ogdensburg 6 Bright suburban sky 15
Stony Point 6 Bright suburban sky 15
Corning 6 Bright suburban sky 15
Islip 6 Bright suburban sky 16
Centereach 6 Bright suburban sky 16
Oneida 6 Bright suburban sky 16
Nanuet 6 Bright suburban sky 16
Grand Island 6 Bright suburban sky 16
Lancaster 6 Bright suburban sky 16
Rotterdam 6 Bright suburban sky 16
Gates-North Gates 6 Bright suburban sky 17
North Tonawanda 6 Bright suburban sky 17
North Babylon 6 Bright suburban sky 17
Endwell 6 Bright suburban sky 17
Pearl River 6 Bright suburban sky 17
Greenlawn 6 Bright suburban sky 17
Dobbs Ferry 6 Bright suburban sky 18
Beacon 6 Bright suburban sky 18
Hauppauge 6 Bright suburban sky 19
Oneonta 6 Bright suburban sky 19
East Patchogue 6 Bright suburban sky 19
East Amherst 6 Bright suburban sky 19
North Massapequa 6 Bright suburban sky 19
Holbrook 6 Bright suburban sky 20
Fulton 7 Suburban / urban transition 20
Selden 7 Suburban / urban transition 20
Gloversville 7 Suburban / urban transition 20
Kings Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 20
Smithtown 7 Suburban / urban transition 20
South Farmingdale 7 Suburban / urban transition 20
Mount Kisco 7 Suburban / urban transition 20
Salisbury 7 Suburban / urban transition 20
West Seneca 7 Suburban / urban transition 20
Rye 7 Suburban / urban transition 20
Terryville 7 Suburban / urban transition 21
Cortland 7 Suburban / urban transition 21
Harrison 7 Suburban / urban transition 21
East Islip 7 Suburban / urban transition 21
Amsterdam 7 Suburban / urban transition 21
Haverstraw 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Sayville 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
East Northport 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Nesconset 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
North Bay Shore 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Elwood 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Kingston 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Farmingville 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Olean 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
West Haverstraw 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Holtsville 7 Suburban / urban transition 22
Eggertsville 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
Massena 7 Suburban / urban transition 23
Depew 7 Suburban / urban transition 24
Syosset 7 Suburban / urban transition 24
Riverhead 7 Suburban / urban transition 24
Tarrytown 7 Suburban / urban transition 24
Fairmount 7 Suburban / urban transition 24
Sleepy Hollow 7 Suburban / urban transition 25
Ithaca 7 Suburban / urban transition 25
West Babylon 7 Suburban / urban transition 25
Cohoes 7 Suburban / urban transition 25
New City 7 Suburban / urban transition 25
Geneva 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Wantagh 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Peekskill 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Endicott 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
North Merrick 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Ossining 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Medford 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Middle Island 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Oswego 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Roessleville 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
West Islip 7 Suburban / urban transition 26
Great Neck 7 Suburban / urban transition 27
Watervliet 7 Suburban / urban transition 27
Staten Island 7 Suburban / urban transition 27
North Bellmore 7 Suburban / urban transition 27
Coram 7 Suburban / urban transition 27
North Wantagh 7 Suburban / urban transition 27
Lackawanna 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Amherst 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Central Islip 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Suffern 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Mamaroneck 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
Shirley 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
East Meadow 7 Suburban / urban transition 28
North Lindenhurst 7 Suburban / urban transition 29
Glen Cove 7 Suburban / urban transition 29
Massapequa Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 29
Glens Falls 7 Suburban / urban transition 29
Plainview 7 Suburban / urban transition 29
Elmira 7 Suburban / urban transition 29
Melville 7 Suburban / urban transition 29
Batavia 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Long Beach 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Seaford 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Elmont 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Lindenhurst 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Middletown 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
Tonawanda 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
East Massapequa 7 Suburban / urban transition 30
North Valley Stream 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
Huntington 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
Commack 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
Massapequa 7 Suburban / urban transition 31
Jericho 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Uniondale 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Lockport 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Rome 7 Suburban / urban transition 32
Floral Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 33
Babylon 7 Suburban / urban transition 33
Brentwood 7 Suburban / urban transition 33
Latham 7 Suburban / urban transition 33
Plattsburgh 7 Suburban / urban transition 33
Copiague 7 Suburban / urban transition 34
Bethpage 7 Suburban / urban transition 34
Deer Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 35
Roosevelt 7 Suburban / urban transition 35
Troy 7 Suburban / urban transition 35
Huntington Station 7 Suburban / urban transition 35
Poughkeepsie 7 Suburban / urban transition 35
West Hempstead 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
North New Hyde Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Wyandanch 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Auburn 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Levittown 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Clifton Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 36
Newburgh 7 Suburban / urban transition 37
North Amityville 7 Suburban / urban transition 37
Oceanside 7 Suburban / urban transition 38
Kenmore 7 Suburban / urban transition 38
Binghamton 7 Suburban / urban transition 39
Franklin Square 7 Suburban / urban transition 39
Manhattan 7 Suburban / urban transition 39
Woodmere 7 Suburban / urban transition 39
Brighton 7 Suburban / urban transition 40
Jamestown 7 Suburban / urban transition 40
Merrick 8 City sky 40
Johnson City 8 City sky 40
Greece 8 City sky 41
Patchogue 8 City sky 41
New Cassel 8 City sky 42
Bay Shore 8 City sky 43
Garden City 8 City sky 43
Bellmore 8 City sky 44
Watertown 8 City sky 44
Baldwin 8 City sky 44
Lynbrook 8 City sky 45
Utica 8 City sky 47
Cheektowaga 8 City sky 48
Port Chester 8 City sky 49
Valley Stream 8 City sky 51
Spring Valley 8 City sky 51
Westbury 8 City sky 52
Rockville Centre 8 City sky 52
West Albany 8 City sky 53
Kiryas Joel 8 City sky 53
Mount Vernon 8 City sky 54
Yonkers 8 City sky 56
Saratoga Springs 8 City sky 57
Monsey 8 City sky 58
Mineola 8 City sky 60
Brooklyn 8 City sky 60
Hempstead 8 City sky 61
Niagara Falls 8 City sky 61
Rochester 8 City sky 62
Queens 8 City sky 63
The Bronx 8 City sky 64
Schenectady 8 City sky 64
Hicksville 8 City sky 67
New Rochelle 8 City sky 73
Freeport 8 City sky 79
White Plains 8 City sky 93
Syracuse 8 City sky 94
Albany 9 Inner-city sky 104
Buffalo 9 Inner-city sky 140
New York City 9 Inner-city sky 144

Frequently asked questions

Where are the darkest skies in New York?
The darkest town tracked here is Glenville. 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 New York have?
Of 219 towns rated here, 5 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.