(Wyoming) – This probably isn’t a shocker to you if you’re from Wyoming. Or, if you’ve ever been to Wyoming. But here it goes anyway… It’s a great place to see the stars!
According to data compiled on all 50 states ability to see the stars at night, website Live Casinos has concluded that Wyoming is the second best place in the country to get your stargazing on.
The only spot that beats us….
South Dakota
According to their list the lower Dakota has a higher “dark sky” category ranking than the Cowboy State. Per Live Casinos, “Ranking second is Wyoming, with a star visibility score of 7.65/10, just marginally lower than fellow North American state, South Dakota (7.79/10). Aided by being one of the 19 states with laws in limiting light pollution1, almost half of the state (46.39%) falls into Bortle scale 1-3. Notably, 5.15% of the state is considered the most favorable for viewing stars (Bortle scale 1) – almost double Arizona (2.70%) which ranks 5th. Hot Springs offers the most optimal skies for stargazing in Wyoming, with a star visibility score of 8.71/10.”
For those hoping to catch a glimpse of the night sky, here’s their full top 10!Rank State Excellent dark sky(Bortle scale 1) Dark sky(Bortle scale 2) Rural sky(Bortle scale 3) Average cloud cover per year Star visibility score /10 1. South Dakota 9.42% 15.14% 28.1% 11.65% 7.79 2. Wyoming 5.15% 12.6% 28.64% 11.4% 7.65 3. Alaska 6.23% 8.17% 17.34% 11.3% 7.64 4. Montana 7.95% 11.23% 30% 12.3% 7.51 5. Arizona 2.7% 6.25% 17.47% 6.7% 7.37 6. Nevada 5.74% 11.29% 27.52% 8.95% 7.34 7. North Dakota 3.36% 5.66% 13.33% 12.4% 7.27 8. New Mexico 2.2% 5% 23.29% 7.87% 7.10 9. Nebraska 5.12% 9.52% 25.62% 11.81% 7.10 10. Oregon 4.13% 9.92% 24.59% 12.31% 6.97