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
Is tonight
a night you'll actually see?
Most sky apps publish a forecast once and let it age. This 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 decision layer
Worth checking: 50/100
Cloud 86% · Moon ~75% · Seeing 2.0″ · Trans 65% → 50/100
Conditions are mixed. Check the map, timing and cloud window before committing to a long drive.
Columbus: [39.9612, -82.9988] · updated Aug 31, 01:04 PM
This verdict is rebuilt live on every check — not a cached forecast. Static apps publish once and leave you planning a night that already changed; this card re-runs the current providers each time you open it.
Next clear window
Tuesday, Sep 1
~5% cloud expected · 2 nights this week look workable
MET Norway Locationforecast (network-fresh; provider update 2026-08-31T11:16:53Z). 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
86%
Data from MET Norway · valid 01:00 PM · Provider updated 11:16 AM · Upstream expires 01:35 PM
Moon
~75%
18° altitude
Darkness
Bortle 2
Pro unlocks detailed SQM/NELM
Light dome
Detroit
264 km
Kp now
3.3
24h max 3.3
ISS
…
checking
Seeing
2.0″
estimated
Trans.
65%
estimated
Free: Bortle 2 estimate·Pro: locked
Unlock SQM/NELMWhat a Pro comparison looks like
Pro ranks up to three nearby candidates against current provider forecasts so you can pick the spot with the clearest sky. Values below are illustrative only — they are not this location's data.
Ridgeline spot 25 min drive
Cloud 8%Moon 12%Kp 4Seeing 1.8″
Go82/100
Valley lookout 40 min drive
Cloud 21%Moon 12%Kp 4Seeing 2.4″
Worth checking64/100
Harbour headland 55 min drive
Cloud 64%Moon 12%Kp 4Seeing 3.1″
Wait41/100
Live provider forecasts · measured darkness unavailable
See what Pro ranks for your spotsMoon window
Rise 01:44 AM · Set 02:44 PM
~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 3.3 — low odds from your latitude tonight
24h max Kp 3.3
Pass window
No visible ISS pass in the search window
No visible Starlink pass in the search window
Cloud now
86% · valid 01:00 PM
Single snapshot at check time — cloud can move before a pass window.
Cloud risk
Cloud risk high
86% cloud cover input.
Moon
Bright moon penalty
77% illumination at 18° altitude.
Light pollution
Bortle 2
Dark enough for useful visual and photo work.
Seeing / transparency
2.0 arcsec / 65%
Combined steadiness and clarity estimate.
Free single-spot map hints
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.
Condition-aware monetisation
Offers matched to this sky
Accommodation search is available on the dashboard map. Select a spot and click Stays to find nearby lodging.
Saved-place alerts beta waitlist
Turn this into a Pro alert.
Columbus: clear-sky, aurora, iss-starlink alerts when cloud ≤25% and Kp ≥4.
Enter your email to join the alert beta. We will notify you when saved-place alerts go live.
Forecast sources: MET Norway Locationforecast valid 2026-08-31T13:00:00Z · Observed feeds: NOAA planetary K-index through 2026-08-31T09:00:00 · Live positions/catalogue deliveries: none. Darkness: modelled estimate, not satellite-measured. Measured sky quality remains modelled (city-anchor proximity) until a VIIRS radiance pipeline is active. Moon position and event times are approximate and have NOT been verified against an authoritative catalog.
Checking Pro access…
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.