Sky quality model
SQM/radiance is modelled from city light-dome anchors and calibrated dark-sky references until a true VIIRS tile/raster provider is wired.
Tonight check
Check one place
before you make the night count.
See whether this place is worth setting up for tonight. The check is rebuilt from live provider data on every visit — MET Norway weather, NOAA space weather, current orbital elements — with the provider and update time labelled on the card. No signup required.
Tonight at Columbus
Worth checking: 71/100
Cloud 38% · Moon ~45% · Seeing 1.5″ · Trans 68% → 71/100
Conditions are mixed. Check the map, timing and cloud window before committing to a long drive.
Confidence: Medium. Seeing and transparency are included from the supplied forecast.
Columbus: [39.9612, -82.9988] · updated Oct 4, 02:14 PM UTC
Checked Oct 4, 02:14 PM UTC. Weather delivery: Network fresh; valid time and provider update stay visible with the forecast. A memory-cache-fresh response is labelled rather than described as missing.
Next clear window
Tuesday, Oct 6
~0% cloud expected · 3 nights this week look workable
MET Norway Locationforecast (network-fresh; provider update 2026-10-04T13:17:57Z). Moon illumination is computed locally. Bortle, seeing, transparency, routing and drive time are not evaluated.
Free checks one evaluated spot. Pro ranks nearby candidate sites and scans the full week, so you are choosing between real options instead of hoping this spot clears up.
See the full week's scanCloud
38%
Data from MET Norway · valid 02:00 PM UTC · Provider updated 01:17 PM UTC · Upstream expires 02:44 PM UTC
Moon
~45%
62.9° altitude
Darkness
Bortle 2
Pro unlocks detailed SQM/NELM
Light dome
Detroit
264 km
Kp now
5
24h max 5
ISS
…
checking
Seeing
1.5″
estimated
Trans.
68%
estimated
Free: Bortle 2 estimate·Pro: locked
Unlock SQM/NELMMoon window
Rise 05:54 AM UTC · Set 08:14 PM UTC
~3 arcmin precision · approximate
ISS next visible pass
Checking…
Satellite pass data loads after the core decision.
Starlink next visible pass
Checking…
Satellite pass data loads after the core decision.
Tonight's full plan
aurora + pass window + cloudAurora odds
Kp 5 — low odds from your latitude tonight
24h max Kp 5
Pass window
No visible ISS pass in the search window
No visible Starlink pass in the search window
Cloud now
38% · valid 02:00 PM UTC
Single snapshot at check time — cloud can move before a pass window.
Cloud risk
Patchy but workable
38% cloud cover input.
Moon
Moon needs timing
46% illumination at 62.9° altitude.
Light pollution
Bortle 2
Dark enough for useful visual and photo work.
Seeing / transparency
1.5 arcsec / 68%
Combined steadiness and clarity estimate.
Free check
What should I check next?
This free panel explains the evaluated spot and nearby map context. Pro compares up to three straight-line radius candidates using current provider forecasts; verify roads and access separately.
Next useful action
Compare forecast candidates
Accommodation search is available on the dashboard map. Select a spot and click Stays to find nearby lodging.
Saved-place alerts beta waitlist
Join the saved-place alert waitlist
Columbus: clear-sky, aurora, iss-starlink alerts when cloud ≤25% and Kp ≥4.
Alerts are in beta and not delivered yet. Join the waitlist and we will contact you when saved-place delivery is ready.
How to read this check
One number, five inputs,
one honest verdict.
The verdict on the card — Go, Worth checking or Wait — is a weighted score built from the factors that actually decide a night: cloud cover (30%), darkness (22%), moon phase and window (18%), transparency (18%) and seeing (12%), minus a drive penalty for distant sites. Every factor is labelled with its source and update time on the card.
Go · 80+
All the main gates are open: clear, dark, moonless and transparent enough for the targets you planned. Head out and re-check on arrival.
Worth checking · 45–79
A real chance, with a caveat — patchy cloud, a rising moon or average transparency. Look at which factor is dragging the score and plan around it.
Wait · below 45
The sky is working against you tonight. Save the drive — the verdict will flip as the providers update, so check again tomorrow.
What Pro unlocks
The free check covers a single spot. Pro turns the same live data into a planning layer: compare your top three nearby sites against current provider forecasts, scan the best night of the week, find clear windows, and export a session brief — so you are choosing between real options, not hoping your one spot clears up. See pricing.
Editorial note
This page was written and reviewed by Sam, founding editor of Darkest Hour. Live inputs: MET Norway (weather, CC-BY 4.0), NOAA SWPC (space weather), current orbital elements (satellites). Darkness values are modelled estimates, not satellite-measured data — the card labels each input's delivery type so you can judge confidence. Editorial standards. Last reviewed 17 Aug 2026.