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Tonight · Sat, 10 October 2026

Chapel Hill stargazing forecast tonight

Hourly clear-sky conditions for observing: cloud by layer, transparency, estimated seeing, moonlight and true astronomical darkness.

35.913°N 79.056°W ·149 m ·North Carolina, United States

NearbyDurhamRaleighGreensboroAsheboroMore nearby
0
/100
Not worth it conditions
at peak

Cloud or fog is the strongest score limit at the best sampled time.

Site darkness · peer measure
Bright skyNot multiplied into the conditions score
19.3–20.0 mag/arcsec²

The score describes tonight’s conditions. Site darkness helps you choose what to observe.

See target outlook ↓Planet observing times →
Best months at Chapel Hill, North Carolina →Moonless nights →
Tonight in context · local sky & season

October historically: 12.2 qualifying nights/month on average (2005–2024). Regional cloud and darkness history, not tonight’s probability or a comparison with the conditions score.

A qualifying historical night has at least 3 hours of astronomical darkness and mean nighttime cloud ≤30%. This does not measure steady air or target visibility. Seasonal history →

Saturn: about 9.0h above 20° during this observing night’s darkness. Longest sampled dark-time opportunity among our four planet targets; not a weather ranking. Planet times →

Position calculations use roughly 20-minute samples. Clouds, skyglow and local obstructions still matter. Milky Way timing →

Best window
None tonight
Window quality
—
Astronomical dark
21:00 – 06:00
Moon
New moon, 1%
Transparency at peak
0.10
Seeing at peak (est.)
0.58
Visual limit (modelled)
3.5–5.0 mag
Tonight's limiting factor
Low cloud

100% low cloud at the best hour. Low cloud is opaque — it gates everything else. What this means →

Also limiting: Twilight. See the guide →

The night, hour by hour

Colour = score · Luminance = everything else
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
Score
Low cloud
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
Mid cloud
100%
100%
60%
6%
31%
95%
73%
29%
14%
23%
52%
13%
21%
High cloud
96%
99%
100%
91%
98%
100%
98%
81%
94%
97%
89%
83%
45%
Transparency
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
Seeing
0.58
0.58
0.61
0.61
0.59
0.63
0.68
0.71
0.74
0.77
0.79
0.80
0.77
Moon clear
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
19
20
21
22
23
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
Inspect

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Score inspectorWhy this hour scored what it did Open peakClose
19 Not worth it · 0/100
Starting from
100
Cloud
−100
Transparency
−0
Seeing
−0
Moonlight
−0
Darkness
−0
Score
0
CLOUD 100% LOW 100% MID 100% HIGH 96% SUN -3.2° MOON -3.5° / 0% WIND 6 TEMP 20°
Excellent 75+ Good 55+ Fair 35+ Poor 15+ Not worth it Seeing is estimated from surface wind — see how we score.
Tonight is for planning

The sky is staying closed.

None of the five observing modes reaches a reliable setup window. Skip the empty charts and use tonight to make the next clear session easier.

Cloud stays at 100% or moreTransparency peaks at 0.10
Make the next clear night easier

Three useful moves, no dead chart.

The forecast detail above remains available when you need the measurements. These are the useful next decisions.

Scan the next seven nights → Read cloud by layer → Use tonight for equipment prep →
Remember what you observe

Your target still carries into clear-night recommendations and future alert rules.

Deep-sky visual is your current default.

A darker option

Cherry Springs State Park

648 km away · Threatened dark sky · 21.6–21.8 mag/arcsec²

13conditions tonight
See the trade-off →

The next week of nights

Tonight · 10 Oct
0
Not worth it

Cloud or fog is the strongest score limit at the best sampled time.

MOON 1%
Tomorrow · 11 Oct
67
Good
MOON 3%
21:00–07:00
Monday · 12 Oct
68
Good
MOON 7%
01:00–07:00
Tuesday · 13 Oct
67
Good
MOON 13%
02:00–03:00
Wednesday · 14 Oct
63
Good
MOON 21%
02:00–03:00
Thursday · 15 Oct
64
Good
MOON 29%
20:00–21:00
Friday · 16 Oct
67
Good
MOON 37%
02:00–03:00

Open a night for its forecast times. Later forecasts may have wider time steps; missing hours are not interpolated.

Tonight · 10 Oct · forecast times
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
Score
Low cloud
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
Mid cloud
100%
100%
60%
6%
31%
95%
73%
29%
14%
23%
52%
13%
21%
High cloud
96%
99%
100%
91%
98%
100%
98%
81%
94%
97%
89%
83%
45%
Transparency
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
0.10
Seeing
0.58
0.58
0.61
0.61
0.59
0.63
0.68
0.71
0.74
0.77
0.79
0.80
0.77
Moon clear
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
19
20
21
22
23
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Tomorrow · 11 Oct · forecast times
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
56
67
65
65
62
64
50
46
56
59
55
Score
Low cloud
2%
2%
3%
2%
0%
3%
0%
9%
9%
8%
8%
10%
9%
Mid cloud
0%
0%
1%
4%
2%
2%
0%
14%
22%
6%
3%
2%
2%
High cloud
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Transparency
0.49
0.44
0.36
0.32
0.29
0.24
0.20
0.17
0.19
0.25
0.30
0.33
0.35
Seeing
0.66
0.70
0.77
0.73
0.72
0.74
0.77
0.76
0.73
0.69
0.69
0.69
0.68
Moon clear
2%
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
19
20
21
22
23
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Monday · 12 Oct · forecast times
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
57
68
61
41
31
36
52
61
62
62
57
Score
Low cloud
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Mid cloud
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
High cloud
0%
0%
0%
18%
71%
98%
84%
39%
9%
4%
3%
7%
12%
Transparency
0.42
0.30
0.26
0.25
0.23
0.22
0.22
0.18
0.14
0.11
0.11
0.10
0.10
Seeing
0.86
0.85
0.87
0.88
0.89
0.90
0.93
0.94
0.94
0.93
0.95
0.95
0.99
Moon clear
6%
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
down
19
20
21
22
23
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Tuesday · 13 Oct · forecast times
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
58
67
Score
Low cloud
0%
0%
0%
0%
Mid cloud
1%
0%
0%
0%
High cloud
0%
0%
0%
0%
Transparency
0.77
0.24
0.23
0.27
Seeing
1.00
0.92
0.89
0.89
Moon clear
10%
12%
down
down
14
20
02
08

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Wednesday · 14 Oct · forecast times
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
58
63
Score
Low cloud
0%
0%
1%
9%
Mid cloud
0%
2%
7%
27%
High cloud
0%
0%
6%
9%
Transparency
0.76
0.19
0.28
0.16
Seeing
0.98
1.00
0.91
0.84
Moon clear
17%
19%
down
down
14
20
02
08

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Thursday · 15 Oct · forecast times
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
64
26
Score
Low cloud
100%
10%
17%
87%
Mid cloud
21%
1%
62%
100%
High cloud
0%
2%
0%
0%
Transparency
0.62
0.63
0.32
0.44
Seeing
0.84
0.84
0.94
1.00
Moon clear
24%
27%
down
down
14
20
02
08

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Friday · 16 Oct · forecast times
Sky state
Shaded = daylight and twilight  ·  unshaded = astronomical dark
36
67
Score
Low cloud
98%
0%
0%
3%
Mid cloud
45%
9%
0%
0%
High cloud
10%
72%
21%
1%
Transparency
0.64
0.33
0.53
0.52
Seeing
1.00
0.97
0.75
0.78
Moon clear
33%
35%
down
down
14
20
02
08

Cloud tracks show clear sky — a longer bar is better. The figure inside each track is the raw measurement.

Planning a trip?

Compare the next eight weekends → · Best months to visit → · Moonless nights →

More nearby locations 8 options · openclose

About this forecast

Exact-coordinate weather, sky geometry and site context.

Full method →20-year baseline →
Sources and scoring details openclose

Conditions for Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States are computed from the MET Norway forecast model for these exact coordinates, combined with sun and moon positions we calculate directly. The score weighs cloud cover by layer, atmospheric transparency, estimated seeing, moonlight and astronomical twilight. Site darkness is shown separately, then used only where artificial skyglow physically changes moon contrast, haze scattering, visual limits and target suitability.