StarCast · Built for Night Photographers
LightCast

Best Weather App for Night Photography

Night photography needs more than a cloud forecast. LightCast StarCast scores moon phase, Bortle class, transparency, and dark window timing — everything you actually need, in one score.

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

What night photographers need

Five Variables. One Score.

A standard weather app is built for daytime planning. It shows cloud cover and precipitation — and for night photography, those are just two of five variables that determine whether a shoot will be good. Missing any one of them can mean a wasted trip.

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Moon Phase and Position
For Milky Way photography, a full moon is a deal-breaker. For moonlit landscape photography, it's essential. StarCast shows moon illumination percentage and whether the moon is above the horizon during your target window — so you can plan around it either way.
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Light Pollution (Bortle Class)
No weather app shows light pollution. But Bortle class is the baseline that determines what's possible at your location — even on a perfect night. StarCast shows Bortle class for any location so you know your ceiling before you check anything else.
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Atmospheric Transparency
High humidity, wildfire smoke, and aerosols reduce star brightness and contrast even under a clear sky. A visually clear night can still have poor transparency. StarCast factors transparency into every score using humidity and weather model data.
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Dark Window Timing
The usable shooting window is when astronomical twilight has ended, the moon is below the horizon, and your target is above it. StarCast calculates this overlap for your location each night — a single number telling you how long you actually have to shoot.
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Cloud Cover by Layer
Not all cloud is equal. Thin high cirrus reduces contrast but still allows shooting. Low stratus ends the session. StarCast separates cloud by altitude layer so you get a realistic picture of what the sky will actually look like, not just a percentage.
LightCast StarCast
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StarCast Push Alerts
Get notified when tonight scores above your threshold. Set your location once — StarCast monitors all five variables and sends a push alert when a high-scoring window is forecast. Stop checking manually every night.
Common Questions
What is the best weather app for night photography?
LightCast StarCast. It combines moon phase, moon position, Bortle class, transparency, cloud cover by layer, and dark window timing into a single 0–100 score. Push alerts notify you when conditions meet your threshold. Free on the web, alerts in the iOS app.
Does moon phase really matter for night photography?
For Milky Way and star photography: yes, significantly. A full moon illuminates the sky enough to wash out faint stars. New moon nights are the primary target. For intentional moonlit landscape photography, the opposite is true — full moon can be ideal. StarCast scores both use cases.
What is Bortle class and why does it matter?
Bortle class rates sky darkness from 1 (darkest) to 9 (city centre). It determines the ceiling on what's visible at your location regardless of weather. Bortle 3 or better is needed for serious Milky Way photography. StarCast shows Bortle class for any location alongside the weather forecast.
How far ahead does StarCast forecast?
StarCast shows a 3-day weather forecast window. Moon phase and astronomical twilight timing are predictable months ahead — StarCast adds the cloud, transparency, and humidity layer on top so you can confirm conditions as the date approaches.
What else is in LightCast?
Six tools in one app: StarCast (night sky), GoldCast (sunset and golden hour), DroneCast (drone flight), CloudCast (cloud conditions), FogCast (fog prediction), and TriCast (camera calculators). $2.99/month after a 7-day free trial.
LightCast
Everything you need. One score.

Moon phase & position · Bortle class · Transparency · Dark window
Push notifications · Saved locations · 6 tools in one app

Download LightCast for iOS
or
Check tonight's conditions free on web →

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