Nº IV · Light pollution · Sky brightness

Light pollution map

Find the darkest skies near you before you pack the car: where to set up for imaging or for naked-eye observing.

Main

DarkSkySites

A world map of artificial sky brightness from VIIRS satellite data that you can step through month by month, plus SQM readings sent in by observers. Its APEX simulator shows what the sky will look like from a given site (full dome or first-person view) before you travel.

Open DarkSkySites

Alternative

Light Pollution Map

Gives the Bortle scale with decimals, derived from modelled SQM sky brightness, and an all-sky brightness simulation. It also has an aurora probability layer.

Open Light Pollution Map

Both maps are built on night-time data from the VIIRS satellite. They open in a new tab.