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Tonight · peak score /100

4Not worth it

No usable window

best window

Limited by

Thin high cloud

Why this matters

100% high cirrus. Visual observers shrug it off; long exposures integrate it. Read the guide →

Also limiting: Transparency. See the guide →

Site details and actions

Site darkness · peer measure

Brightened skyNot multiplied into the conditions score

20.3–20.9 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 Yellowknife, Northwest Territories →Moonless nights →

Tonight in context · local sky & season

November historically: 1.1 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 6.0h 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

01:00 – 07:00

Moon

Waning crescent, 32%

Transparency at peak

0.10

Seeing at peak (est.)

1.00

Visual limit (modelled)

4.5–6.0 mag

The night, hour by hour

Colour = score · Luminance = everything else

Score 0–100 · underline marks the best window · local time (America/Edmonton)
Hour	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09
Score	4	3	3	3	3	3	4	4	0
Cloud %	100	100	100	100	100	99	95	77	45
Transp. 0–1	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.10
Seeing est. /1	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00
Moon alt. °	-1	5	11	17	24	29	34	37	38
Darkness	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Twil.	Twil.	Twil.

Inspect all cloud layers and score factors

Sky state

Shaded = daylight and twilight · unshaded = astronomical dark

Score

Low cloud

26%

36%

20%

Mid cloud

97%

98%

99%

100%

99%

98%

84%

60%

27%

High cloud

100%

99%

100%

98%

89%

88%

64%

Transparency

0.10

Seeing

1.00

Moon clear

down

34%

33%

32%

31%

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

01 Not worth it · 4/100

Starting from

100

Cloud

−94

Transparency

−2

Seeing

−0

Moonlight

−0

Darkness

−0

Score

CLOUD 100% LOW 1% MID 97% HIGH 100% SUN -42.3° MOON -0.7° / 35% WIND 1 TEMP -3°

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 77% 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 visualPlanetary & lunarWide-field imagingLong exposureMeteor watching

Deep-sky visual is your current default.

A darker option

Wood Buffalo National Park

350 km away · Natural-dark sky · 21.9–21.9 mag/arcsec²

2conditions tonight

See the trade-off →

The next week of nights

Tonight
2 Nov4Moon 32%Cloud or fog is the strongest score limit at the best sampled time. ↓

Score 0–100 · underline marks the best window · local time (America/Edmonton)
Hour	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09
Score	4	3	3	3	3	3	4	4	0
Cloud %	100	100	100	100	100	99	95	77	45
Transp. 0–1	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.10
Seeing est. /1	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00
Moon alt. °	-1	5	11	17	24	29	34	37	38
Darkness	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Twil.	Twil.	Twil.

All factors for this night

Sky state

Shaded = daylight and twilight · unshaded = astronomical dark

Score

Low cloud

26%

36%

20%

Mid cloud

97%

98%

99%

100%

99%

98%

84%

60%

27%

High cloud

100%

99%

100%

98%

89%

88%

64%

Transparency

0.10

Seeing

1.00

Moon clear

down

34%

33%

32%

31%

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

Tomorrow
3 Nov0Moon 25%Cloud or fog is the strongest score limit at the best sampled time. ↓

Score 0–100 · underline marks the best window · local time (America/Edmonton)
Hour	18	19	20	21	22	23	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09
Score	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cloud %	60	94	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100
Transp. 0–1	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	0.10	0.10	0.10
Seeing est. /1	0.97	0.97	0.99	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.97
Moon alt. °	-10	-15	-18	-20	-21	-19	-16	-12	-6	0	6	13	19	24	28	31
Darkness	Twil.	Twil.	Twil.	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Twil.	Twil.	Twil.

All factors for this night

Sky state

Shaded = daylight and twilight · unshaded = astronomical dark

Score

Low cloud

60%

94%

100%

Mid cloud

High cloud

33%

Transparency

0.10

Seeing

0.97

0.99

1.00

0.97

Moon clear

down

23%

22%

21%

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

Wednesday
4 Nov9Moon 16%Cloud or fog is the strongest score limit at the best sampled time. ↓

Score 0–100 · underline marks the best window · local time (America/Edmonton)
Hour	18	19	20	21	22	23	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09
Score	0	9	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cloud %	58	80	96	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100
Transp. 0–1	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	0.10	0.10	0.10
Seeing est. /1	0.74	0.74	0.66	0.61	0.64	0.66	0.68	0.70	0.71	0.70	0.72	0.75	0.76	0.78	0.78	0.77
Moon alt. °	-11	-17	-22	-25	-27	-27	-25	-22	-17	-11	-4	2	8	14	19	22
Darkness	Twil.	Twil.	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Dark	Twil.	Twil.	Twil.

All factors for this night

Sky state

Shaded = daylight and twilight · unshaded = astronomical dark

Score

Low cloud

10%

100%

91%

Mid cloud

31%

52%

77%

66%

20%

15%

34%

84%

99%

96%

81%

41%

High cloud

39%

57%

83%

88%

66%

50%

72%

73%

76%

88%

87%

89%

96%

98%

100%

Transparency

0.10

Seeing

0.74

0.66

0.61

0.64

0.66

0.68

0.70

0.71

0.70

0.72

0.75

0.76

0.78

0.77

Moon clear

down

14%

13%

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

Thursday
5 Nov0Moon 9%Cloud or fog is the strongest score limit at the best sampled time. ↓

Score 0–100 · underline marks the best window · local time (America/Edmonton)
Hour	18	00	06	12
Score	0	0	0	0
Cloud %	100	100	100	100
Transp. 0–1	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.10
Seeing est. /1	0.88	0.88	1.00	1.00
Moon alt. °	-12	-33	-1	18
Darkness	Twil.	Dark	Dark	Day

All factors for this night

Sky state

Shaded = daylight and twilight · unshaded = astronomical dark

Score

Low cloud

100%

Mid cloud

100%

High cloud

87%

98%

Transparency

0.10

Seeing

0.88

1.00

Moon clear

down

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

Friday
6 Nov0Moon 4%Cloud or fog is the strongest score limit at the best sampled time. ↓

Score 0–100 · underline marks the best window · local time (America/Edmonton)
Hour	18	00	06	12
Score	0	0	0	0
Cloud %	100	100	100	100
Transp. 0–1	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.25
Seeing est. /1	0.99	0.98	0.95	0.91
Moon alt. °	-12	-40	-12	13
Darkness	Twil.	Dark	Dark	Day

All factors for this night

Sky state

Shaded = daylight and twilight · unshaded = astronomical dark

Score

Low cloud

100%

99%

Mid cloud

100%

99%

100%

High cloud

99%

52%

99%

81%

Transparency

0.10

0.25

Seeing

0.99

0.98

0.95

0.91

Moon clear

down

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

Saturday
7 Nov8Moon 1%Cloud or fog is the strongest score limit at the best sampled time. ↓

Score 0–100 · underline marks the best window · local time (America/Edmonton)
Hour	18	00	06	12
Score	0	0	8	0
Cloud %	100	100	88	100
Transp. 0–1	0.29	0.21	0.15	0.16
Seeing est. /1	0.92	0.91	0.76	0.76
Moon alt. °	-12	-45	-22	7
Darkness	Twil.	Dark	Dark	Day

All factors for this night

Sky state

Shaded = daylight and twilight · unshaded = astronomical dark

Score

Low cloud

99%

100%

86%

98%

Mid cloud

66%

95%

High cloud

15%

12%

100%

Transparency

0.29

0.21

0.15

0.16

Seeing

0.92

0.91

0.76

Moon clear

down

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

Sunday
8 Nov0Moon 0%Cloud or fog is the strongest score limit at the best sampled time. ↓

Score 0–100 · underline marks the best window · local time (America/Edmonton)
Hour	18	00	06	12
Score	0	0	0	0
Cloud %	100	100	100	100
Transp. 0–1	0.21	0.11	0.10	0.15
Seeing est. /1	0.65	0.78	0.85	0.76
Moon alt. °	-11	-47	-31	2
Darkness	Twil.	Dark	Dark	Day

All factors for this night

Sky state

Shaded = daylight and twilight · unshaded = astronomical dark

Score

Low cloud

77%

100%

Mid cloud

93%

100%

58%

High cloud

100%

99%

66%

100%

Transparency

0.21

0.11

0.10

0.15

Seeing

0.65

0.78

0.85

0.76

Moon clear

down

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

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

Planning a trip?

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

About this forecast

Exact-coordinate weather, sky geometry and site context.

Full method →20-year baseline →

Sources and scoring details openclose

Conditions for Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada 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.