StarCast · Clear Sky Finder

Best App to Find Clear Skies

LightCast StarCast monitors cloud cover and atmospheric transparency for your saved locations and sends a push alert when the sky clears above your threshold. Built for photographers and stargazers who need to know before dark.

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iOS app: $2.99/mo · 7-day free trial · Cancel anytime

What "clear" means for photographers

Clear Skies for Photographers Require More Than Low Cloud Cover

Finding a clear sky for photography or stargazing means more than checking a percentage on a weather app. Cloud cover layer matters. Atmospheric transparency matters. And for night work, moon phase determines whether a clear sky is actually dark. StarCast scores all of it for any location you save.

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Save Any Location, Monitor Multiple Spots

Save your shooting locations in StarCast and monitor them without manually checking each one. StarCast scores each saved location against the same variables — cloud cover, transparency, moon phase, and Bortle class — so you can see at a glance which location has the clearest sky tonight.

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Transparency: Clear vs. Actually Clear

High humidity and aerosols make a clear sky look milky and washed out — especially at lower elevations and in summer. StarCast's transparency score tells you whether the air is optically clean, not just cloud-free. Two nights with identical cloud cover can look completely different.

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Push Alerts When Your Locations Clear

Instead of manually checking the forecast each day, StarCast pushes an alert when a saved location scores above your threshold. You set the bar. When the sky clears to that level, your phone notifies you — before dark, with enough time to drive. Exclusive to the iOS app.

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3-Day Outlook for Planning Drives

Deciding whether to drive two hours for clear skies requires more than tonight's score. StarCast shows a 3-day outlook so you can see whether to go tonight or wait until tomorrow when conditions look stronger.

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Clear Sky Alerts for Your Locations

Save your shooting locations. Set your clear sky threshold. Let StarCast tell you when to go. Push alerts notify you when the sky clears above your score at any saved location — well before dark. Exclusive to the iOS app.

Common Questions

What is the best app to find clear skies for astrophotography?

LightCast StarCast. It scores cloud cover, atmospheric transparency, moon phase, and Bortle class for any saved location and sends push alerts when conditions clear. Free on web, push alerts on iOS. Download here. $2.99/month after a 7-day free trial.

How far can I trust a clear sky forecast?

Cloud cover forecasts are reasonably reliable within 48 hours. Beyond 72 hours, treat them as a trend indicator. For drive decisions, check within 6 hours of your planned departure for the most accurate picture. StarCast updates from Open-Meteo every hour.

Can I check multiple locations at once?

Yes. Save multiple locations in StarCast and view the score for each. Useful if you have several shooting spots at different elevations or distances — you can compare tonight's conditions across all of them without switching apps or tabs.

Does clear sky mean good astrophotography conditions?

Not always. A clear night with high humidity can still look milky. A clear night near full moon is far too bright for deep-sky work. StarCast scores transparency and moon phase alongside cloud cover so you get a complete picture, not just a partial answer.

What is LightCast StarCast?

StarCast scores night sky conditions using moon phase, Bortle class, atmospheric transparency, and cloud cover into a single 0–100 score. Free on web at lightcastsuite.com/starcast, push notifications in the LightCast iOS app. $2.99/month after a 7-day free trial.

Find clear skies for any saved location. Get alerted before dark.

Cloud cover · Transparency · Moon phase · Bortle class
Push alerts · Saved locations · 3-day outlook

Download LightCast for iOS

Check any location free on web →

$2.99/mo after 7-day free trial · Cancel anytime in App Store