PLAN · EXPLORE · RETURN
Make the night yours.
Choose where and when you will observe. Find the dark hours, consider a few targets, and take a plan with you.
Your saved plans
Return to a session and check the latest information before you go.
Favourites and up to ten plans are saved in this browser, without an account. Clearing browser storage removes them. A shared plan link contains the selected site, date, times and interest.
How to read your plan
Darkness and object positions are calculated for the selected location and date. A dark, moonless interval is an astronomical opportunity; it does not establish clear weather or a dark local horizon. The starter target list is deliberately short. Use the planetarium to explore more objects.
Timing uses 15-minute samples. The horizon is an idealised level horizon: mountains, dunes and buildings can hide objects sooner. Skydust’s site coordinates are forecast reference points, not verified parking or access locations.
The planner uses Astronomy Engine and the existing Skydust target catalogue. Weather, where available, comes from the same provisional model used on Tonight. Expired data is not used to rate a session. Read the method or help improve the evidence by contributing a sky-brightness measurement.
Plan your observing session
Plan your UAE observing session by location, date and target. Combine the Moon and sky geometry with weather forecasts and practical site checks.
Forecast reference snapshot: Al Quaa
Snapshot time: 13 Oct 2026, 04:00 GST
- Model cloud cover: 5%
- Model aerosol optical depth at 550 nm: 0.32
- Moon at the snapshot time: below the horizon
This describes one time, not the whole night. Values are provisional model estimates, not field measurements. Issued: 12 Oct 2026, 08:00 GST · Forecast expires: 13 Oct 2026, 06:00 GST