Annual satellite layer
2025
Latest completed annual layer, independently calculated from EOG VIIRS Nighttime Lights annual inputs.
Transparency & maintenance
About Light Pollution Map and its data
LightPollutionMap.app is developed and maintained by the Stargazing Hub Team. The map separates completed annual satellite layers from provisional estimates so users can see what each year label means.
Current data status
Provisional estimate
2026
Model estimate, revised as additional monthly inputs become available. It is not a completed annual satellite layer.
Coverage note: Monthly inputs are added as they become available.
How the map is produced
- 01 · Satellite input
EOG VIIRS Nighttime Lights provide the satellite input used to calculate the annual layers.
- 02 · Sky-brightness calculation
LightPollutionMap.app independently converts the night-light inputs into modeled sky-brightness values using its own calculation method. Map values are not raw satellite pixels or on-site SQM measurements.
- 03 · Public interpretation
The original Bortle Scale is subjective. On this site, Bortle values are a quantitative interpretation derived from modeled SQM and are shown with decimal precision to make location comparison and site selection more intuitive. LightPollutionMap.app was the first website to present Bortle values in decimal form.
Update policy
- Annual layers are published after a completed annual source release is processed and checked.
- 2026 estimates may change as new monthly inputs are incorporated.
- The site’s “Last Updated” timestamp is the website build time. Data coverage is stated separately by layer and estimate year.
- Material corrections are reflected in the map, this page, and machine-readable site descriptions.
Data source and visual reference
- EOG VIIRS Nighttime Lights: annual night-light input produced by the Earth Observation Group, Payne Institute for Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines, and made available under CC BY 4.0. LightPollutionMap.app processes the source data for map tiling and visualization, then independently calculates the modeled sky-brightness values shown on this site.
- DJ Lorenz: color-palette reference only. All map values are calculated independently by LightPollutionMap.app; no DJ Lorenz data or algorithms are used.
Live satellite cloud layer
The live satellite cloud layer is processed and composited by LightPollutionMap.app from publicly available geostationary satellite imagery. The service performs reprojection, visual harmonisation, and compositing. It is not an official product of any source agency and does not imply their endorsement.
- Source material from the Meteorological Satellite Center of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA); modified and composited by LightPollutionMap.app.
- Satellite imagery courtesy of CIRA/NOAA and the NOAA/NESDIS Center for Satellite Applications and Research.
- Contains modified EUMETSAT Meteosat data 2026, licensed under CC BY 4.0. See the EUMETSAT data licensing guide.
This informational layer is not intended for official forecasting, emergency response, or disaster mitigation.
Responsibility and contact
The Stargazing Hub Team is responsible for developing and maintaining the website, data presentation, model updates, and corrections.
How to cite this map
Include the selected layer or estimate label and your access date. Suggested citation:
Stargazing Hub Team. “Light Pollution Map.” LightPollutionMap.app, 2026, https://lightpollutionmap.app. Data view: [selected layer or estimate]; accessed [date].