# Scope Nights Astronomy Weather — Custom Stargazing Forecasts > Custom astronomy weather forecasts for optimal stargazing and astrophotography. (iPhone/iPad app by Martin Dodd.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scope-nights-astronomy-weather/id540120977 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Martin Dodd](https://appshunter.io/developer/540120980) - Category: Weather, Reference - Price: $6.99 - Rating: 4.50/5 from 770 App Store ratings · 219 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 15.0 · 169 MB - Released: 2012-08-14 - Data updated: 2026-09-10 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scope-nights-astronomy-weather/id540120977/reviews.md ## What is Scope Nights Astronomy Weather? Clearer Nights Ahead with Scope Nights Astronomy Weather... Scope Nights helps stargazers, astronomers, and astrophotographers find the clearest, darkest skies. Instead of analysing conventional weather forecasts yourself, Scope Nights does the work for you, showing exactly when and where conditions will be best for observing the night sky. "Every amateur astronomer yearns for clear, dark skies, and this exhaustive app helps you find them." - Sky At Night Magazine "Scope Nights has become my favorite… it does a fine job of summarizing the data in a clear and understandable fashion." - Sky & Telescope Magazine Plan Your Observing • Smart stargazing ratings with animated weather icons • Custom thresholds for moon phase, wind, humidity, and temperature • Compare conditions across your favourite observing sites Find Dark Sky Sites • Detailed light pollution map from NASA satellite data • Certified dark sky places, observatories, and robotic telescopes Detailed Global Forecasts • Long‑range forecasts worldwide (up to 7 nights, 7 locations) • Local forecasts for UK & USA direct from Met Office & NOAA • Night‑time specific data: cloud cover, moon phase, humidity, wind, temperature, sunrise/sunset, moonrise/moonset Notifications & Sharing • Custom alerts for good observing conditions before sunset • App badge showing tonight’s best sites • Share astronomy weather reports with friends or observatories Requirements • iOS 15 or later • Internet connection (Wi-Fi or cellular) • Location Services to provide local stargazing forecasts and notifications. No personal data is collected, and no tracking occurs. • Background Services for local notifications. Notifications are used only to alert you about good stargazing conditions, they are not used for advertising or tracking. Scope Nights is independently developed. Your reviews and ratings help sustain future updates for the stargazing community. ## Key features - Custom stargazing forecasts - Smart observing ratings - Light pollution map - Dark sky site finder - Global and local forecasts - Customizable alerts - Night-time specific data ## Chart rankings - #94 in Top Paid · Weather (US App Store) ## What do users think of Scope Nights Astronomy Weather? Overall sentiment: neutral **Pros** - 🚀 Accurate forecasts - 👍 Useful for planning astronomy sessions - 🌟 Great app overall - 💻 Works well on iOS - 🌙 Provides moon phase information **Cons** - 🐛 Bugs and errors - 🔍 Issues with location data and forecasts - 🚫 App no longer working/supported - 💰 Expensive for limited features - 📱 UI issues on larger screens **Commonly reported bugs** - Repeated error messages for unavailable forecasts - Duplicate saved locations - Inability to load forecasts for certain locations - Crashing and freezing issues - Incompatibility with newer iOS versions **Most requested features** - Astronomical twilight start/end times - More prominent moon rise/set times - Larger font size - Ability to delete all saved locations - Integration with other astronomy apps ## Recent user reviews (10 of 219) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scope-nights-astronomy-weather/id540120977/reviews.md ### 1/5 — Useless about half the time. Incorrect the other half. *2026-08-21, version 2.6.0* Okay when it works, which is NOT very often. How in the world is 68% cloud cover “fair”??? Doesn’t seem to refresh at all. No apparent correlation between what it says and local weather. GUI is inconsistent and confusing at times. Gives me notice that there’s good visibility tonight. It’s 98% overcast with no clear skies forecast for days… ### 5/5 — Unique Outstanding Design App! *2026-07-19, version 2.6.0* Let me tell ya my Friends from an ole ole Man 🦯 this is truly a Unique Outstanding Design App a 5 Star ⭐️ Rating app all the way! I have been lucky 🍀 enough to have used it many years and for me was always there! So Mr. Developer I Tip my Hat 🎩 to you and say Thank You for creating this Beautiful Software! from an ole 🦯 man Thanks ### 2/5 — Keeps forgetting my scope sites *2026-05-18, version 2.6.0* The app is nice to identify the sky conditions and I like how it's presented more than others for a quick glance. But it keeps forgetting my favorites in the scope sites. ### 3/5 — Add the ability to search a map/ lat-long *2026-04-15, version 2.6.0* I could not find the ability to add a location that is not in the included location list. The ability to search via pin on a map or entering lat/longitude would be helpful. Best, Mark ### 5/5 — Scope Nights *2026-04-13, version 2.6.0* I have used this app for years and was very sad when it stopped working. But the developer has managed to get it working again! This is by far the best app I have used to plan for astrophotography. Thanks for making this app! ### 2/5 — Useless about half the time *2026-03-23, version 2.6.0* Okay when it works, which is NOT very often. Gives me notice that there’s good visibility tonight. It’s 98% overcast with no clear skies forecast for days… ### 5/5 — Best astronomy app *2026-03-04, version 2.6.0* This app is superb to plan the clear nights when you can get out your telescope. Packed with info about sunset, moonrise, moon phase, weather, viewing conditions, light pollution map and loads more. If you have a telescope or astronomical binoculars then you need this app. ### 1/5 — Rubbish and does not work *2026-02-05, version 2.6.0* inaccurate, reports POOR conditions for local area set in the app, go outside and the stars are out, perfect night for using telescope, waste of time ### 5/5 — Great app and really grateful for the update *2026-01-10, version 2.6.0* The update is great but I had a fair number of sites and now get the message that I have reached the maximum of seven sites. Not a huge problem but the message is fairly persistent. I usually record places I’ve been so I can see at a glance what the sites are like, Is there a reason for the limit and if not then could that be relaxed? ### 2/5 — Missed opportunity *2026-01-08, version 2.6.0* Improvements made to the last update but apparently darkness doesn’t start until midnight?! What about the 6 hours prior to that? (In winter) Emailed the developer a month ago but got no reply ## Frequently asked questions about Scope Nights Astronomy Weather ### What does Scope Nights Astronomy Weather do? Scope Nights provides custom weather forecasts specifically for stargazing and astrophotography. It analyzes various weather conditions like cloud cover, moon phase, humidity, and wind to identify the clearest and darkest skies for observing the night sky. ### What are the key features of this app? Key features include smart stargazing ratings with animated weather icons, custom thresholds for weather conditions, a detailed light pollution map, identification of dark sky sites, global and local forecasts up to 7 nights, and customizable alerts for good observing conditions. ### Is Scope Nights Astronomy Weather free to use? Based on the provided information, the app is not free. It is a paid application, meaning an upfront purchase is required to download and use its features. ### What are the requirements to use Scope Nights Astronomy Weather? The app requires iOS 15 or later and an internet connection (Wi-Fi or cellular). Location Services are necessary for local forecasts and notifications, but no personal data is collected or tracked. Background Services are used for local notifications. ### Who would benefit from using this app? This app is designed for stargazers, amateur astronomers, and astrophotographers who need precise weather information to plan their observing sessions. It helps users find the best times and locations for clear, dark skies, making it easier to enjoy celestial events. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2.6.0 — 2025-11-18 Scope Nights 2.6 Update: • Optimized for iOS 26 and the latest iPhone and iPad models • Smoother planning with improved stability and performance • Higher-resolution data for national and global astronomy forecasts • Refreshed listings for Dark Sky Places, Observatories, and Robotic Telescopes • Fixed global forecast outage • UI refinements and general bug fixes Scope Nights is independently developed. Your reviews and ratings help sustain future updates for the stargazing community. ### 2.5.1 — 2017-12-22 This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon. Scope Nights 2.5.1 is a maintenance release containing minor improvements and bug fixes. ### 2.5 — 2017-10-10 Scope Nights 2.5 is a free update which includes iOS11 compatibility, support for older iOS9 devices, new features, performance improvements and bug fixes. NEW - iOS11 compatibility allowing Scope Nights to work on the latest devices. NEW - Backwards compatibility with older devices running iOS 9.3, allowing more people to freely upgrade to the latest Scope Nights. NEW - Improved Moon phase forecasts including percentage, rise, set and altitude. NEW - Long-press gesture on the Dark Sky Map to add new Scope Sites, allowing you to get stargazing forecasts for any location. NEW - Improved easier to read layouts for summary and detail forecasts. FIX - Performance improvements and bug fixes. If you find this latest free update of Scope Nights useful, please take a moment to leave a new App Store rating or update your previous rating. I don’t get paid for app updates, so your review encourages others to buy Scope Nights which enables me to keep developing the app. Clear Skies! Martin ### 2.4 — 2016-12-21 Scope Nights 2.4 is a free update with iOS10 support, new features, performance improvements and bug fixes. I have taken on board your feedback and removed the upgrades. All features are now accessible with the initial purchase of the app. NEW - More stargazing forecasts… You can now save & compare up to 10 sites. NEW - Scope Nights now uses background fetching of weather forecast data giving more accurate and up to date stargazing notifications.
 NEW - App Badge showing the number of sites with good stargazing for the upcoming night.
 NEW - Improved sharing. You can now share your Scope Nights forecasts via Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Mail, Messages & Notes. Or save, copy & print stargazing forecasts to share anywhere. If you find Scope Nights useful, please leave a good rating in the App Store as it helps me to keep developing the app. Clear Skies, Martin ### 2.3 — 2016-12-20 Scope Nights 2.3 is a free update with iOS10 support, new features, performance improvements and bug fixes. NEW - I have taken on board your feedback and reduced the number of upgrades. Astronomer’s Weather Pack and UK & US Astronomy Weather are now included with the app. This includes… ● Accurate and detailed local 3-hourly stargazing forecasts from NOAA in the US and Met Office in the UK. ● 10-night global forecasts ● Custom stargazing ratings with observing thresholds ● Stargazing notifications ● Sharing of stargazing forecasts NEW - More stargazing forecasts… You can now save & compare up to 5 sites, and up to 10 sites with the Dark Sky Locations upgrade. NEW - Scope Nights now uses background fetching of weather forecast data giving more accurate and up to date stargazing notifications.
 NEW - App Badge showing the number of sites with good stargazing for the upcoming night.
 NEW - Improved sharing. You can now share your Scope Nights forecasts via Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Mail, Messages & Notes. Or save, copy & print stargazing forecasts to share anywhere. If you find Scope Nights useful, please leave a good rating in the App Store as it helps me to keep developing the app. Clear Skies, Martin ## Apps similar to Scope Nights Astronomy Weather | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Power Outage - Live Monitor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/power-outage-live-monitor/id1161371495) | 3.8 (50) | $1.99 | Weather | | [widget weather](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/widget-weather/id908649054) | 4.7 (72) | $3.99 | Weather | | [指尖天气预报-2小时降雨预警](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/2/id1184793295) | 4.5 (78) | Free | Weather | | [Moon phases calendar and sky](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/moon-phases-calendar-and-sky/id1032783648) | 4.4 (51) | $0.99 | Weather | | [Daylights](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/daylights/id1344857062) | 4.7 (55) | Free | Weather | | [Weather Informant](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/weather-informant/id802517287) | 2.6 (32) | Free | Weather | ## Related topics [scope nights](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/scope-nights) · [scope nights astronomy weather](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/scope-nights-astronomy-weather) · [astronomy weather](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/astronomy-weather) · [stargazing weather](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/stargazing-weather) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-10.*