Explore your night sky

About the map

Inspired by the breathtaking night sky displays across the UK last winter, this map uncovers hidden local dark spots - giving you the best chance to experience the wonders of our galaxy.

Built on the striking visuals of a freely available global light pollution dataset from the Living Atlas, this app pinpoints the locations where you’ll enjoy the clearest views of the night sky—wherever you are!

Fancy a trip abroad? Discover the world’s most renown sites for spotting meteor showers or, if you’re lucky, the auroras.

Why it works

Use of the multi-ring buffer and point classification tools help to simplify the data in ArcGIS Pro, before sharing the to ArcGIS Online. Creative drop-shadows, layer transparencies and visual sketches add depth to the experience.

The night sky theme is emphasised with a custom galaxy basemap created with the ArcGIS Vector Tile Style Editor, before being brought together in ArcGIS Instant Apps for map synchronisation and interactivity.

Important Steps

1.

Explore the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World and use the curated data at our fingertips. We were inspired by the VIIRS Nighttime Lights Monthly Cloud-Free Composite.
2.

Gather your data in ArcGIS Pro, and play around with your layers and symbology. Use the Multiple Ring Buffer tool with increments of 10km to visualise distance to each dark sky site.
3.

Design a basemap from scratch or use a template to supplement your data with ArcGIS Vector Tile Style Editor. Get creative!
4.

Bring your elements together in ArcGIS Online to see how they interact - try out some sketch layers or pop-ups to see if this elevates your story.
5.

Open up ArcGIS Instant Apps and choose the best template for showcasing your data.

Data and software

The Dark Sky Discovery network of national and local astronomy organisations aim to engage people with the night sky. They have identified 176 dark sky sites across the UK, that can be downloaded.
Analysis

The Multiple Ring Buffer tool was used to map proximity to the Dark Sky Discovery sites, with 11 distance increments in km.
Time

With little data cleaning or analysis required, most of the time was spent creating the custom basemap, enhancing visuals and working out how best to display these maps.

Be smart with buffers

Not all your buffer increments need to be equal. Shetland was so far out we needed a much larger interval!
Choosing the right colour ramp

ArcGIS Online may have a more suitable colour palette for your chosen theme.
Simplifying pop-ups

Use the pop-up tab in ArcGIS Online to remove unwanted items from the fields list so that your pop-ups are concise.

Links & Resources

Map Author

Sacha Manners (She/Her)

Sacha is a Junior Consultant at Esri UK with a background in Geography. Outside of work she enjoys reading, iced coffee and sea swimming wherever she can (preferably somewhere warm).

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About the map

Why it works

Important Steps

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Requirements

Data and software

Analysis

Time

Tips and tricks

Be smart with buffers

Choosing the right colour ramp

Simplifying pop-ups

Links & Resources

Create custom basemaps with Vector Tile Style Editor

Enhance visuals with sketch layers

Get started with Instant Apps

Sacha Manners (She/Her)

Start making maps with a free trial of ArcGIS Online