Light Pollution Map

Choose a place for your next stargazing trip with Light Pollution Map. Explore satellite nighttime light emissions, compare locations and plan around astronomical darkness and the Moon.

EXPLORE THE LIGHT AROUND YOU
Browse a full-screen geographic map with a VIIRS 2024 light layer. Search cities or enter decimal or DMS coordinates, tap a point to see its light index, and adjust the layer intensity. Optional location access helps you center the map. Find the data year, source and interpretation in Settings & help.

COMPARE BEFORE YOU GO
Compare two to four places for the same date, with satellite light index, straight-line distance and astronomical night intervals. Search nearby sampled areas for lower light emissions, then review a location before adding it to your plans.

MAKE TIME FOR THE NIGHT SKY
Use the lunar calendar and night diagram to see astronomical darkness, Moon illumination and periods when the Moon is below the horizon. Plan with the location's time zone, choose your observing interval and keep an equipment checklist. Request a local reminder for a saved plan.

KEEP YOUR PLACES AND OBSERVATIONS TOGETHER
Save places in folders with names and notes. Keep a field journal with observed conditions, instruments, an optional photo and your own manual SQM reading. Share plan text with the option to hide exact coordinates, open external directions, and create or restore a ZIP backup of your saved records and attachments.

UNDERSTAND THE DATA
The satellite layer shows ground-source nighttime emissions from 2024, expressed as the dataset's stored relative light index. Source pixels are approximately 500 m. This is not a live sky-brightness reading, an automatic Bortle class or an SQM measurement. Nearby results are sampled areas, and distances are in a straight line.

Astronomical calculations estimate darkness and Moon timing. They do not forecast cloud cover or guarantee a dark or clear sky. Check weather, terrain, legal access and local safety before travelling.

Light data: Hengl / OpenGeoHub, VIIRS VNL V2 2024, CC BY 4.0. Basemap: OpenFreeMap, OpenMapTiles and OpenStreetMap contributors. Detailed sources and limitations are available in Settings & help.