Night Sky Tonight in Ouray

The live score above pulls today's forecast and runs it through StarCast's scoring model, which factors in cloud cover, moon illumination, Bortle class, humidity, and atmospheric transparency. Above 70 is an excellent night. Below 40, conditions are poor. The score updates daily.

Ouray sits in a near-vertical box canyon at 7,800 feet, surrounded on three sides by peaks topping 13,000 feet. The canyon walls create a natural overhead frame unlike anywhere else in Colorado. The Million Dollar Highway south toward Silverton has pullouts with wide valley views and minimal light pollution. Driving even a mile outside town puts you in genuine dark sky territory.

The galactic core is visible from late March through October. The canyon's narrow opening means the core is best captured from the highway approaches rather than within town. Red Mountain Pass above Ouray gives unobstructed south-facing views at over 11,000 feet, and late spring offers the longest dark windows before the monsoon pattern arrives.