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, with 5 rating as genuinely dark or rural sky (Bortle 4 or better). Every town is listed with the nearest measurably darker town to drive to. No site in the state holds an International Dark Sky Place certification, so its darkest skies are the rural towns at the top of the table. Ratings are a VIIRS satellite proxy, 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
Certified dark-sky places
0

Nearest certified dark-sky places to New York

No site in New York holds an International Dark Sky Place certification. Measured from Glenville, the state's darkest rated town, these are the nearest certified destinations — all 92 are on the map.

Nearest certified International Dark Sky Places to Glenville, New York.
Place Designation State From Glenville
Cherry Springs State Park Dark Sky Park Pennsylvania 210 mi
Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Dark Sky Sanctuary Maine 340 mi
James River State Park Dark Sky Park Virginia 445 mi

All New York towns by darkness

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

New York towns, darkest sky first.
Sky Nearest darker sky
Glenville 4 Rural / suburban transition 0.8 already the darkest nearby
Queensbury 4 Rural / suburban transition 1.0 already the darkest nearby
Manorville 4 Rural / suburban transition 2.4 already the darkest nearby
Woodbury 4 Rural / suburban transition 2.4 already the darkest nearby
Wawarsing 4 Rural / suburban transition 2.7 already the darkest nearby
Cortlandt Manor 5 Suburban sky 3.3 Woodbury — B4, 14 mi
Clay 5 Suburban sky 3.4 Glenville — B4, 110 mi
North Castle 5 Suburban sky 3.9 Woodbury — B4, 27 mi
Hampton Bays 5 Suburban sky 4.2 Manorville — B4, 15 mi
Miller Place 5 Suburban sky 5.3 Manorville — B4, 12 mi
Fort Drum 5 Suburban sky 5.4 Glenville — B4, 115 mi
Jefferson Valley-Yorktown 5 Suburban sky 5.4 Woodbury — B4, 16 mi
Fort Salonga 5 Suburban sky 5.6 Manorville — B4, 26 mi
Wilton 5 Suburban sky 5.8 Queensbury — B4, 15 mi
Greenburgh 5 Suburban sky 6.7 Ringwood, NJ — B4, 22 mi
Mount Sinai 5 Suburban sky 7.1 Manorville — B4, 13 mi
Stony Brook 5 Suburban sky 7.1 Manorville — B4, 18 mi
Setauket-East Setauket 5 Suburban sky 7.7 Manorville — B4, 16 mi
Ridge 5 Suburban sky 7.8 Manorville — B4, 5 mi
Canandaigua 6 Bright suburban sky 8.9 Clay — B5, 60 mi
Fallsburg 6 Bright suburban sky 9.2 Wawarsing — B4, 13 mi
Lake Ronkonkoma 6 Bright suburban sky 9.9 Stony Brook — B5, 6 mi
Bohemia 6 Bright suburban sky 10 Stony Brook — B5, 11 mi
Port Washington 6 Bright suburban sky 10 Greenburgh — B5, 16 mi
Ronkonkoma 6 Bright suburban sky 10 Stony Brook — B5, 7 mi
Dix Hills 6 Bright suburban sky 11 Fort Salonga — B5, 8 mi
Fredonia 6 Bright suburban sky 11 Franklin Park, PA — B5, 135 mi
Henrietta 6 Bright suburban sky 11 Clay — B5, 73 mi
Mastic Beach 6 Bright suburban sky 11 Manorville — B4, 8 mi
Mastic 6 Bright suburban sky 11 Manorville — B4, 5 mi
Rocky Point 6 Bright suburban sky 11 Miller Place — B5, 4 mi
Vestal 6 Bright suburban sky 11 Back Mountain, PA — B5, 52 mi
Scarsdale 6 Bright suburban sky 11 Greenburgh — B5, 4 mi
West Henrietta 6 Bright suburban sky 11 Clay — B5, 76 mi
Saint James 6 Bright suburban sky 12 Stony Brook — B5, 3 mi
Cicero 6 Bright suburban sky 12 Clay — B5, 3 mi
Lake Grove 6 Bright suburban sky 12 Stony Brook — B5, 5 mi
Wykagyl 6 Bright suburban sky 13 Greenburgh — B5, 7 mi
Dunkirk 6 Bright suburban sky 13 Franklin Park, PA — B5, 135 mi
Irondequoit 6 Bright suburban sky 13 Clay — B5, 71 mi
East Setauket 6 Bright suburban sky 13 Setauket-East Setauket — B5, 1 mi
North Bellport 6 Bright suburban sky 13 Ridge — B5, 9 mi
Ogdensburg 6 Bright suburban sky 15 Fort Drum — B5, 46 mi
Stony Point 6 Bright suburban sky 15 Cortlandt Manor — B5, 7 mi
Corning 6 Bright suburban sky 15 Back Mountain, PA — B5, 78 mi
Islip 6 Bright suburban sky 16 Fort Salonga — B5, 14 mi
Centereach 6 Bright suburban sky 16 Setauket-East Setauket — B5, 5 mi
Oneida 6 Bright suburban sky 16 Clay — B5, 27 mi
Nanuet 6 Bright suburban sky 16 Greenburgh — B5, 10 mi
Grand Island 6 Bright suburban sky 16 Clay — B5, 140 mi
Lancaster 6 Bright suburban sky 16 Clay — B5, 130 mi
Rotterdam 6 Bright suburban sky 16 Glenville — B4, 11 mi
Gates-North Gates 6 Bright suburban sky 17 Clay — B5, 77 mi
North Tonawanda 6 Bright suburban sky 17 Clay — B5, 135 mi
North Babylon 6 Bright suburban sky 17 Fort Salonga — B5, 14 mi
Endwell 6 Bright suburban sky 17 Back Mountain, PA — B5, 54 mi
Pearl River 6 Bright suburban sky 17 Greenburgh — B5, 10 mi
Greenlawn 6 Bright suburban sky 17 Fort Salonga — B5, 5 mi
Dobbs Ferry 6 Bright suburban sky 18 Greenburgh — B5, 2 mi
Beacon 6 Bright suburban sky 18 Woodbury — B4, 12 mi
Hauppauge 6 Bright suburban sky 19 Stony Brook — B5, 8 mi
Oneonta 6 Bright suburban sky 19 Wawarsing — B4, 60 mi
East Patchogue 6 Bright suburban sky 19 Ridge — B5, 10 mi
East Amherst 6 Bright suburban sky 19 Clay — B5, 130 mi
North Massapequa 6 Bright suburban sky 19 Fort Salonga — B5, 17 mi
Holbrook 6 Bright suburban sky 20 Setauket-East Setauket — B5, 8 mi
Fulton 7 Suburban / urban transition 20 Clay — B5, 16 mi
Selden 7 Suburban / urban transition 20 Centereach — B6, 3 mi
Gloversville 7 Suburban / urban transition 20 Glenville — B4, 17 mi
Kings Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 20 Fort Salonga — B5, 3 mi
Smithtown 7 Suburban / urban transition 20 Hauppauge — B6, 2 mi
South Farmingdale 7 Suburban / urban transition 20 North Massapequa — B6, 2 mi
Mount Kisco 7 Suburban / urban transition 20 North Castle — B5, 5 mi
Salisbury 7 Suburban / urban transition 20 North Massapequa — B6, 6 mi
West Seneca 7 Suburban / urban transition 20 Lancaster — B6, 7 mi
Rye 7 Suburban / urban transition 20 Scarsdale — B6, 6 mi
Terryville 7 Suburban / urban transition 21 Setauket-East Setauket — B5, 2 mi
Cortland 7 Suburban / urban transition 21 Endwell — B6, 35 mi
Harrison 7 Suburban / urban transition 21 Scarsdale — B6, 5 mi
East Islip 7 Suburban / urban transition 21 Islip — B6, 1 mi
Amsterdam 7 Suburban / urban transition 21 Glenville — B4, 7 mi
Haverstraw 7 Suburban / urban transition 22 Stony Point — B6, 3 mi
Sayville 7 Suburban / urban transition 22 Bohemia — B6, 3 mi
East Northport 7 Suburban / urban transition 22 Greenlawn — B6, 2 mi
Nesconset 7 Suburban / urban transition 22 Lake Ronkonkoma — B6, 2 mi
North Bay Shore 7 Suburban / urban transition 22 Islip — B6, 3 mi
Elwood 7 Suburban / urban transition 22 Greenlawn — B6, 2 mi
Kingston 7 Suburban / urban transition 22 Wawarsing — B4, 22 mi
Farmingville 7 Suburban / urban transition 22 Holbrook — B6, 3 mi
Olean 7 Suburban / urban transition 22 Fredonia — B6, 53 mi
West Haverstraw 7 Suburban / urban transition 22 Stony Point — B6, 1 mi
Holtsville 7 Suburban / urban transition 22 Holbrook — B6, 2 mi
Eggertsville 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 North Tonawanda — B6, 6 mi
Massena 7 Suburban / urban transition 23 Ogdensburg — B6, 33 mi
Depew 7 Suburban / urban transition 24 Lancaster — B6, 1 mi
Syosset 7 Suburban / urban transition 24 Greenlawn — B6, 8 mi
Riverhead 7 Suburban / urban transition 24 Manorville — B4, 8 mi
Tarrytown 7 Suburban / urban transition 24 Greenburgh — B5, 3 mi
Fairmount 7 Suburban / urban transition 24 Clay — B5, 10 mi
Sleepy Hollow 7 Suburban / urban transition 25 Greenburgh — B5, 4 mi
Ithaca 7 Suburban / urban transition 25 Endwell — B6, 33 mi
West Babylon 7 Suburban / urban transition 25 North Babylon — B6, 2 mi
Cohoes 7 Suburban / urban transition 25 Rotterdam — B6, 14 mi
New City 7 Suburban / urban transition 25 Nanuet — B6, 4 mi
Geneva 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 Canandaigua — B6, 16 mi
Wantagh 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 North Massapequa — B6, 3 mi
Peekskill 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 Cortlandt Manor — B5, 3 mi
Endicott 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 Vestal — B6, 1 mi
North Merrick 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 North Massapequa — B6, 5 mi
Ossining 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 Stony Point — B6, 8 mi
Medford 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 East Patchogue — B6, 4 mi
Middle Island 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 Ridge — B5, 2 mi
Oswego 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 Clay — B5, 25 mi
Roessleville 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 Rotterdam — B6, 11 mi
West Islip 7 Suburban / urban transition 26 North Babylon — B6, 1 mi
Great Neck 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Port Washington — B6, 2 mi
Watervliet 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Rotterdam — B6, 14 mi
Staten Island 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Middletown, NJ — B6, 12 mi
North Bellmore 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 North Massapequa — B6, 4 mi
Coram 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 Centereach — B6, 5 mi
North Wantagh 7 Suburban / urban transition 27 North Massapequa — B6, 2 mi
Lackawanna 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 Lancaster — B6, 9 mi
Amherst 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 North Tonawanda — B6, 5 mi
Central Islip 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 Hauppauge — B6, 2 mi
Suffern 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 Ramsey, NJ — B6, 4 mi
Mamaroneck 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 Wykagyl — B6, 4 mi
Shirley 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 Mastic — B6, 1 mi
East Meadow 7 Suburban / urban transition 28 North Massapequa — B6, 5 mi
North Lindenhurst 7 Suburban / urban transition 29 North Babylon — B6, 3 mi
Glen Cove 7 Suburban / urban transition 29 Port Washington — B6, 4 mi
Massapequa Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 29 North Massapequa — B6, 2 mi
Glens Falls 7 Suburban / urban transition 29 Queensbury — B4, 5 mi
Plainview 7 Suburban / urban transition 29 North Massapequa — B6, 5 mi
Elmira 7 Suburban / urban transition 29 Corning — B6, 13 mi
Melville 7 Suburban / urban transition 29 Dix Hills — B6, 4 mi
Batavia 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 Lancaster — B6, 25 mi
Long Beach 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 North Massapequa — B6, 13 mi
Seaford 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 North Massapequa — B6, 3 mi
Elmont 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 Port Washington — B6, 9 mi
Lindenhurst 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 North Babylon — B6, 3 mi
Middletown 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 Woodbury — B4, 17 mi
Tonawanda 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 North Tonawanda — B6, 2 mi
East Massapequa 7 Suburban / urban transition 30 North Massapequa — B6, 2 mi
North Valley Stream 7 Suburban / urban transition 31 Port Washington — B6, 10 mi
Huntington 7 Suburban / urban transition 31 Greenlawn — B6, 3 mi
Commack 7 Suburban / urban transition 31 Dix Hills — B6, 4 mi
Massapequa 7 Suburban / urban transition 31 North Massapequa — B6, 2 mi
Jericho 7 Suburban / urban transition 32 North Massapequa — B6, 8 mi
Uniondale 7 Suburban / urban transition 32 North Massapequa — B6, 7 mi
Lockport 7 Suburban / urban transition 32 East Amherst — B6, 11 mi
Rome 7 Suburban / urban transition 32 Oneida — B6, 13 mi
Floral Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 33 Port Washington — B6, 7 mi
Babylon 7 Suburban / urban transition 33 North Babylon — B6, 2 mi
Brentwood 7 Suburban / urban transition 33 Hauppauge — B6, 4 mi
Latham 7 Suburban / urban transition 33 Rotterdam — B6, 11 mi
Plattsburgh 7 Suburban / urban transition 33 Colchester, VT — B4, 19 mi
Copiague 7 Suburban / urban transition 34 North Massapequa — B6, 4 mi
Bethpage 7 Suburban / urban transition 34 North Massapequa — B6, 3 mi
Deer Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 35 Dix Hills — B6, 3 mi
Roosevelt 7 Suburban / urban transition 35 North Massapequa — B6, 7 mi
Troy 7 Suburban / urban transition 35 Rotterdam — B6, 15 mi
Huntington Station 7 Suburban / urban transition 35 Greenlawn — B6, 3 mi
Poughkeepsie 7 Suburban / urban transition 35 Beacon — B6, 14 mi
West Hempstead 7 Suburban / urban transition 36 Port Washington — B6, 9 mi
North New Hyde Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 36 Port Washington — B6, 6 mi
Wyandanch 7 Suburban / urban transition 36 North Babylon — B6, 3 mi
Auburn 7 Suburban / urban transition 36 Clay — B5, 27 mi
Levittown 7 Suburban / urban transition 36 North Massapequa — B6, 3 mi
Clifton Park 7 Suburban / urban transition 36 Rotterdam — B6, 12 mi
Newburgh 7 Suburban / urban transition 37 Beacon — B6, 2 mi
North Amityville 7 Suburban / urban transition 37 North Massapequa — B6, 2 mi
Oceanside 7 Suburban / urban transition 38 North Massapequa — B6, 10 mi
Kenmore 7 Suburban / urban transition 38 North Tonawanda — B6, 5 mi
Binghamton 7 Suburban / urban transition 39 Endwell — B6, 5 mi
Franklin Square 7 Suburban / urban transition 39 Port Washington — B6, 8 mi
Manhattan 7 Suburban / urban transition 39 River Edge, NJ — B6, 11 mi
Woodmere 7 Suburban / urban transition 39 Port Washington — B6, 13 mi
Brighton 7 Suburban / urban transition 40 Irondequoit — B6, 5 mi
Jamestown 7 Suburban / urban transition 40 Fredonia — B6, 24 mi
Merrick 8 City sky 40 North Merrick — B7, 2 mi
Johnson City 8 City sky 40 Binghamton — B7, 2 mi
Greece 8 City sky 41 Gates-North Gates — B6, 3 mi
Patchogue 8 City sky 41 East Patchogue — B6, 1 mi
New Cassel 8 City sky 42 Salisbury — B7, 1 mi
Bay Shore 8 City sky 43 Islip — B6, 2 mi
Garden City 8 City sky 43 West Hempstead — B7, 2 mi
Bellmore 8 City sky 44 Wantagh — B7, 1 mi
Watertown 8 City sky 44 Fort Drum — B5, 9 mi
Baldwin 8 City sky 44 Roosevelt — B7, 2 mi
Lynbrook 8 City sky 45 Oceanside — B7, 2 mi
Utica 8 City sky 47 Rome — B7, 14 mi
Cheektowaga 8 City sky 48 Depew — B7, 3 mi
Port Chester 8 City sky 49 Rye — B7, 2 mi
Valley Stream 8 City sky 51 North Valley Stream — B7, 2 mi
Spring Valley 8 City sky 51 Nanuet — B6, 2 mi
Westbury 8 City sky 52 Salisbury — B7, 2 mi
Rockville Centre 8 City sky 52 Oceanside — B7, 1 mi
West Albany 8 City sky 53 Roessleville — B7, 2 mi
Kiryas Joel 8 City sky 53 Woodbury — B4, 4 mi
Mount Vernon 8 City sky 54 Wykagyl — B6, 3 mi
Yonkers 8 City sky 56 Tenafly, NJ — B7, 3 mi
Saratoga Springs 8 City sky 57 Wilton — B5, 7 mi
Monsey 8 City sky 58 Nanuet — B6, 3 mi
Mineola 8 City sky 60 North New Hyde Park — B7, 3 mi
Brooklyn 8 City sky 60 Manhattan — B7, 9 mi
Hempstead 8 City sky 61 Uniondale — B7, 1 mi
Niagara Falls 8 City sky 61 Grand Island — B6, 6 mi
Rochester 8 City sky 62 Brighton — B7, 3 mi
Queens 8 City sky 63 Elmont — B7, 7 mi
The Bronx 8 City sky 64 Manhattan — B7, 7 mi
Schenectady 8 City sky 64 Rotterdam — B6, 3 mi
Hicksville 8 City sky 67 Jericho — B7, 2 mi
New Rochelle 8 City sky 73 Wykagyl — B6, 2 mi
Freeport 8 City sky 79 Roosevelt — B7, 2 mi
White Plains 8 City sky 93 Scarsdale — B6, 2 mi
Syracuse 8 City sky 94 Fairmount — B7, 5 mi
Albany 9 Inner-city sky 104 West Albany — B8, 2 mi
Buffalo 9 Inner-city sky 140 West Seneca — B7, 5 mi
New York City 9 Inner-city sky 144 Hoboken, NJ — B8, 3 mi

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.

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