Our Mission: Mapping the Night
Darkest Hour was born from a simple frustration: driving for hours only to find a sky washed out by light pollution or hidden by clouds.
The Story
Back in 2023, after a failed attempt to photograph the Milky Way due to outdated light pollution maps, we realized there wasn't a truly real-time tool for modern stargazers. Most existing maps were static, based on data years old, and didn't account for current weather or astronomical events.
We built Darkest Hour to be the tool we always wanted. A live, breathing map that combines the latest satellite data with precise meteorological forecasts.
Why We Do It
Preservation
Promoting the preservation of dark sky environments for future generations.
Accessibility
Making the night sky accessible to everyone, regardless of technical expertise.
Data Accuracy
Providing the most accurate, real-time data from authoritative sources.
Our Data Sources
Transparency is core to our mission. We aggregate data from the world's leading scientific organizations:
NASA VIIRS
High-resolution nighttime satellite imagery for light pollution mapping.
Open-Meteo
Precision astronomical weather forecasting including seeing and transparency.
OpenStreetMap
Crowd-sourced mapping data for accurate location search and navigation.
CartoDB
Advanced geospatial engine for rendering high-performance map tiles.
Get in Touch
Have questions, suggestions, or just want to share your latest night sky photo? We'd love to hear from you.