How to Use Tonight Observing Score
Get a plain Go, Maybe, or Skip for tonight from cloud, dew risk, transparency, and dark time — then open the full weather outlook.
What this tool answers
Is tonight worth going out for stargazing near my location, in one number (0–100) and a clear label?
When to use it (Guyana and beyond)
Check in the afternoon before a session, and again before you leave. Humid coasts and equatorial convection — Guyana’s coast included — can flip from promising to socked-in (or clear after rain) within hours. Set the pin to the site you will stand at, not only your home city if you plan to drive.
Step-by-step
- Open Tonight Observing Score.
- Confirm location (GPS or search). Prefer the observing site.
- Wait for the forecast to load; read the 0–100 score and the Go / Maybe / Skip label.
- Scan the short drivers (cloud, dew, transparency, dark window context) so you know why the label landed where it did.
- If the night is Go or Maybe, open Stargazing Weather for the hourly cloud and humidity detail behind the score.
- Cross-check Moon and twilight with Dark Sky Window before packing for a long drive.
How to read Go / Maybe / Skip
- Go: Conditions look solid for a dedicated session. Still re-check close to departure.
- Maybe: A usable window may exist; timing and moisture matter. Use the full weather tool before you commit.
- Skip: Cloud, dew, or lack of useful dark time make a special trip a poor bet. Bright planets or a quick balcony look can still happen — adjust expectations.
The score is guidance for your pin, not a guarantee. Models miss small-scale showers and local fog.
Common mistakes
- Reading the score for downtown while driving to a darker inland site (or the reverse).
- Treating Go as “Milky Way guaranteed” without checking Moon and light pollution.
- Skipping the full Stargazing Weather view when the label is Maybe.