Nightwatch
Clear Sky Alerts
Nightwatch is a menu-bar sky forecast app for your stargazing and astrophotography sessions, helping you decide when to observe and what to point your telescope at.
by Richard Sutcliffe
What you get
You get advance notice of clear skies and a plan for tonight.
You can plan your observing session without repeatedly checking the forecast. Nightwatch alerts you before sunset when a sufficiently long clear spell is expected, reminds you shortly before it starts, and tells you if conditions change. You can compare two weather forecasts and assess hourly clouds, darkness, Moon conditions, atmospheric steadiness, wind, dew risk, and transparency.
You also get targets matched to your telescope’s field of view, with filter, exposure, and frame-count guidance for each one. Your favourites can be ordered by their best observing time, so you know what to aim at next rather than building the evening’s schedule yourself.
If home looks less promising, you can compare nearby darker locations using scores for tonight. You can also receive local aurora alerts and check events involving the Moon, comets, and the space station. You don’t need an account, and there are no ads or tracking.
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Know when to head outside
You get notice before sunset, a reminder before clear skies arrive, and updates if the forecast changes.
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Judge observing conditions
You can weigh clouds, darkness, Moon conditions, wind, dew risk, and atmospheric quality before setting up.
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Choose suitable targets
You get targets matched to your field of view, plus suggested filters, exposures, and frame counts.
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Put tonight in order
You can follow your favourite targets in the order of their best observing times.
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Compare places to observe
You can see how nearby darker skies score tonight compared with your home location.
Best for
- You want advance notice of clear stargazing windows
- You photograph the sky with a telescope or camera
- You want to plan targets for an evening of observing
Skip it if
You probably don’t need it if you only want everyday weather forecasts rather than astronomy-specific conditions and observing plans.
Screenshots
From the developer
Nightwatch sits in your menu bar and watches the weather for you. When tonight looks clear for long enough, it sends a heads-up before sunset, then a nudge just before the clear spell begins. If the forecast turns, it tells you.Read the full description
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