Bortle Scale
The Stargazer’s Guide to the Bortle Scale: How to Classify and Find Class 1 Dark Skies
Have you ever driven hours into the countryside, looked up, and wondered if you were truly experiencing a pristine night sky? To the untrained eye, any sky away from city streetlights feels "dark." However, astronomers use a precise, standardized tool to evaluate the quality of the darkness overhead: The Bortle Scale.