Where are the darkest skies in Vermont?

The darkest town tracked here is Colchester. 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 Vermont have?

Of 5 towns rated here, 1 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.

Vermont dark-sky map — light pollution by town

5 towns rated · darkest: Colchester · measured from VIIRS 2024 satellite night-lights

Vermont has 5 towns rated for light pollution here, from its darkest — Colchester (Bortle 4) — to its brightest city cores. 1 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 Vermont · VIIRS 2024

Towns rated: 5
Darkest town: Colchester
Genuinely dark towns: 1

All Vermont 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.

Filter towns

Vermont towns, darkest sky first.
		Sky
Colchester	4	Rural / suburban transition	1.6
Essex Junction	6	Bright suburban sky	10
South Burlington	6	Bright suburban sky	13
Rutland	6	Bright suburban sky	19
Burlington	7	Suburban / urban transition	24

Frequently asked questions

Where are the darkest skies in Vermont?: The darkest town tracked here is Colchester. 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 Vermont have?: Of 5 towns rated here, 1 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.