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A night under the stars

Observation planner

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The next 48 hours

Local times · Scroll across

Night & twilight only

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How to read the observing outlook

“Promising” means astronomical darkness (Sun below −18°), cloud cover at most 25%, rain probability below 20% and wind at most 15 km/h. “Poor” means clouds above 60%, rain probability at least 50% or wind above 30 km/h; other dark hours are “Mixed”. This is a simple planning guide, not a seeing or transparency forecast. Check the Moon and the Clear Sky Chart below. Dew risk is high within 2°C of the dew point and moderate within 4°C. “—” and “Unknown” mean missing data.

Choose your observing spot

Clear sky sites

Original chart map ↗

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DarkerBlueGreenYellowRedBrighterScale explained ↗

The observing forecast

Clear Sky Chart

Choose an observing site on the map.

Chart details & legend ↗

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Chart key · colours & rows

Read down a column for the same forecast time. Times, time-zone offset and issue date are printed on the chart. Scroll the chart sideways on mobile.

Cloud cover: ClearOvercastDeeper blue means fewer clouds. Separate cloud rows compare forecast models.
Transparency & seeing: PoorBetterTransparency: clarity for faint objects. Seeing: steady air for sharp detail. White means too cloudy to forecast.
Darkness: Dark skyDaylightIncludes sunlight and moonlight, but not local light pollution.
Smoke: Little / noneMore smokeColours move through pale shades and red to brown as smoke increases.
Wind & humidity: Wind: dark blue is calmer; pale shades are windier. Humidity: blue is drier; orange/red is more humid, with greater dew risk.
Temperature: Blue/cyan is colder; yellow, orange and red are warmer. Check the provider’s full legend for exact ranges and units.

Rows vary by site. Select the chart image or “Chart details & legend” above for the full provider scales.

Vancouver

British Columbia, Canada

Full weather ↗

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Sky now—

Moon illumination—

Moon above horizon—

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Today’s times for the selected location.

Plan around the Moon

Moon phases

Current phase

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Upcoming phases

Plan your next night out

Astronomical events

Moon phases, meteor showers, planetary oppositions, Mercury and Venus viewing windows, eclipses, equinoxes and solstices.

This month

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More skywatching guides: Sea and Sky · About supermoons · Solar eclipse safety.

Calendar downloads are a snapshot, not a subscription. Open the .ics file in Apple Calendar, Outlook or another calendar app to import it.

Enable JavaScript for the calendar, or browse Moon phase dates and meteor showers.

In orbit right now

Satellite tracker

International Space Station · NORAD 25544

Track a satellite

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Follow satellite Projected path · next 90 min

● Selected satellite◎ Your observing locationRecent trackProjected path

Latitude / longitude: —
Altitude: —
Speed: —
Elevation here: —

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Upcoming satellite passes ↗Satellite details ↗

Positions are calculated from orbit data and update every 10 seconds while visible. The dashed orange line projects the next 90 minutes; the solid violet line builds a recent track as you watch. These are estimates, not live telemetry. Orbit data refreshes every six hours; older data is labelled, and data over seven days old is not used.

Elevation is the angle above your selected location’s horizon, assuming sea level. A satellite above the horizon may still be invisible: check pass predictions, local darkness and clouds before heading outside.

Orbit data: CelesTrak · Calculations: Satellite.js · Pass predictions: Heavens-Above. Pass links default to UTC; check the time zone shown on the pass page. Opening pass predictions shares the selected observing coordinates with Heavens-Above.