Light Pollution Map – Dark Sky [Pro]

Light Pollution Map helps you quickly locate dark-sky spots where artificial light won’t wash out the night. You can use it to plan better stargazing sessions, observe celestial objects more clearly, and capture sharper night-sky photos. The app focuses on helping you get away from bright city glow so you can enjoy the sky at its best.

More Than a Basic Light Pollution Map

The app does more than show bright and dark areas. It combines mapping tools with astronomy and planning features, so you can choose a location, check sky conditions, and decide when to go. You get practical details that support real trips—whether you explore nearby dark areas or search for a new destination across the world.

Free Version: Core Tools to Explore Dark Locations

In the free version, the app delivers detailed light-pollution data with broad global coverage. It uses your phone’s GPS to identify dark areas near your current location, and it also lets you search anywhere you want to explore. You can zoom in and out using multiple zoom levels, and you can change the overlay opacity so the map looks the way you prefer. The app also provides moon details, including phase and rise/set times, and it supports a “horizon safe radius” circle to help you avoid glow from nearby cities. The free version runs with ads.

Pro Version: Clear-Sky Planning and Faster Performance

The Pro version includes everything in the free version and adds tools for more serious planning. You can turn on a cloud-cover overlay to look for clear skies at night, save your favorite dark-sky locations, and reload them whenever you need. The app also lets you open navigation to your saved spots using your preferred GPS map app. Pro increases the number of zoom levels, loads maps faster, and provides higher-resolution map data. It removes ads and costs a one-time in-app payment of $6.99 USD.

Built on Extensive Mapping Work and Accurate Data

The developer built Light Pollution Map through more than 1,000 hours of work to map global light pollution as accurately as possible. The app aims to outperform many free online options by offering stronger data and convenience in one place. It integrates directly with Google Maps and GPS on Android, which makes it easy to plan where to go and how to get there.

Unique Features: Cloud Overlay and Horizon Protection

The latest version adds options that many other light-pollution tools don’t include. You can toggle a cloud-cover overlay (available in Pro) to avoid wasted trips under cloudy skies. You can also place a horizon safe radius circle on the map, which helps you reduce the impact of distant city light that can brighten the horizon even if your main location looks dark.

Simple Search, Saving Locations, and Map Customization

The app automatically finds your position using GPS, and you can search for places or browse the map freely. When you find a dark location you like, you can press and hold on the map and save it (saving is available in Pro). If the light-pollution overlay looks too strong, you can lower its opacity until it feels comfortable to read. A built-in legend helps you interpret the darkness levels, though the colors match best when you set opacity to 100%.

Moon Data for Today and Future Dates

Light Pollution Map includes moon information such as the moon phase, moonrise, and moonset. It also lets you check moon conditions for future dates, which helps you plan around brighter moonlight or schedule sessions for darker skies when photographing objects like the Milky Way.

User Feedback Highlights Real-World Results

Users report that the app speeds up the process of finding reliable dark sites. One night photographer noted that the tool made it easy to locate and save the darkest areas in the region and delivered accuracy that surpassed other “dark site finder” options, which helped them capture Milky Way images they otherwise couldn’t get.

Internet Requirement and Data Use Note

The app loads map data online, so you need an internet connection or Wi‑Fi to use it properly. Your mobile provider may charge for data usage, and the app does not take responsibility for those charges.

Free vs Pro: Key Differences to Know

The free version includes ads and offers fewer features, lower zoom limits, and reduced resolution/accuracy compared with Pro. It also lacks the cloud-cover overlay and does not support saving favorite locations. If you want ad-free use and the full set of planning tools, you can unlock Pro with a one-time $6.99 USD in-app purchase.