Stargazing Guides
Everything you need to know about reading the night sky, from checking tonight's conditions to understanding aurora forecasts.
Is Tonight Good for Stargazing?
Find out if tonight is good for stargazing at your location. Check cloud cover, moon phase, wind, humidity, and darkness window: scored 0–100.
What Planets Are Visible Tonight?
Which planets are up tonight, how high they climb and the best time to see each, worked out for your location. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Free.
Stargazing Forecast
Free stargazing forecast for any location worldwide. Cloud cover, moon phase, wind, humidity, and darkness scored 0–100 with a best viewing window.
Aurora Forecast: Northern & Southern Lights
Aurora forecast with Kp index, NOAA Ovation probability, and cloud cover. Check if the northern lights are visible tonight from your location.
How the Stargazing Score Works
How ClearSkys calculates the stargazing score: cloud layers, wind, humidity, rain, moon penalty, observer profiles, and custom user-built scoring explained.
Light Pollution & the Bortle Scale
The Bortle scale rates night skies from 1, truly dark, to 9, inner city. What you can see at each level, and how to find a darker sky near you.
Why the Sky Isn't Dark in Summer
North of about 50°N the summer sun never sinks far enough for full darkness. Why the sky stays bright, what you can still see, and when real darkness returns.
Best Places to Stargaze: UK Dark Sky Sites
Where to stargaze in the UK and Ireland. Certified Dark Sky Parks, Bortle ratings, what you can see at each, and a live forecast for every site.
ISS & Satellite Watching Guide
How to see the ISS and bright satellites tonight. When they're visible, how passes work, what to look for, and why summer is the best season.
Best Time to Stargaze Tonight
Tonight's best stargazing time is when full darkness, a set moon and a clear sky overlap. How to find that window, or let an hourly forecast find it for you.
Meteor Shower Calendar 2026
Complete 2026 meteor shower calendar with peak dates, ZHR rates, moon conditions, and viewing tips. Perseids, Geminids, and 7 more showers.
Why a Clear Sky Overhead Doesn't Mean You'll See the ISS
Cloud cover tells you how much of the sky is covered, not which part. For satellite passes and anything low on the horizon, direction matters more than the total.
Why Cloud Cover Isn’t Enough for Stargazing
A weather forecast says 30% cloud. For astronomy, where the cloud is matters more than how much. How directional cloud forecasting works and why it matters for low-altitude targets.
How Dark Is Your Sky? How ClearSkys Estimates Sky Darkness
How ClearSkys estimates sky darkness for every location: NASA satellite night lights, a distance-weighted glow model, and calibration against ground readings.