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Ann Arbor named best place for sunrises, sunsets in Michigan

Study examined most populated Michigan cities

A bright yellow sunrise over clouds (WDIV)

ANN ARBOR – Low levels of light pollution mean that Ann Arbor is officially the best place to see sunrises and sunsets out of Michigan’s most populated cities.

To celebrate International Astrology Day on Saturday, staff at GreatLakesStakes -- a Michigan online gambling news site -- looked at light pollution in the five most populated cities around the Mitten state to determine which offers the best views every morning and evening.

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What connects online gambling and clear skies? We’re not really sure, nevertheless, we do agree: sunsets and sunrises in Tree Town are marvelous.

To obtain its ranking, each city was judged by its light pollution levels according to the GoodToStargaze app. The application uses the Bortle Dark Sky Scale, which utilizes nine categories and other criteria to determine how dark the sky is in a particular area.

Ann Arbor’s light pollution was given a 7, coming out slightly ahead of the 7.3 received by Grand Rapids.

Here are the top 5 spots in Michigan:

  1. Ann Arbor
  2. Grand Rapids
  3. Sterling Heights
  4. Warren
  5. Detroit

About the Author
Sarah Parlette headshot

Sarah has worked for WDIV since June 2018. She covers community events, good eats and small businesses in Ann Arbor and has a Master's degree in Applied Linguistics from Grand Valley State University.

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