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Card 209 of 10002026-08-28 issue

Observed arrival · 2026-08-28

DarkSkyCheck Measures the Night Sky City by City

darkskycheck.com Observed source
Editorial interest 82/100 Selection signal · not a rating of the site

A free lookup that uses satellite radiance data to estimate night-sky brightness across 3,206 US cities.

Landing page captured for the 2026-08-28 issue.

Field notes

DarkSkyCheck converts NOAA VIIRS radiance readings into six descriptive bands rather than presenting them as Bortle classes. Its coverage is limited to incorporated US cities of at least 10,000 people, and the homepage explicitly says it cannot represent true wilderness darkness at backyard-level resolution. City pages add a nearest darker city and straight-line distance, while noting that actual driving routes will be longer.

Observed signals

Read the marks

Editorial observations of this landing page, not a rating.

OpenPublic substance visible
PrettyNotable craft visible
ProPolished or operationally mature
NicheUnusually specific use

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darkskycheck.com

Landing page observed 2026-08-28. The live site may have changed.