Dark Skies: Astrophotography5.3.1 - App Store

Plan better nights. Find darker places. Know when it is worth heading out.
Dark Skies is a focused night-photography planner built to answer one practical question: is tonight worth shooting?
See tonight’s best shooting window, compare the next 14 nights, plan around the Milky Way, Moon, meteors, weather, and darkness, then keep the essential tools ready when you arrive.
FIND DARKER PLACES
Explore a satellite-measured light map and discover nearby campgrounds from the federal recreation catalog. Compare measured light, distance, facility type, and managing agency before deciding whether a destination may be worth the drive.
Measured light is not the same as sky quality, and nighttime access can vary. Dark Skies gives you useful planning evidence while clearly reminding you to verify access and local conditions before traveling.
KNOW WHAT TONIGHT OFFERS
Tonight turns complex forecast and astronomy data into a clear Night Plan with:
. A simple nightly score
. Your recommended shooting window
. Moon illumination and timing
. Suggested celestial targets
. Practical lens guidance
. A quick comparison with stronger upcoming nights
FIND YOUR BEST NIGHTS
Best Nights scores the next 14 nights so you can quickly identify promising opportunities instead of comparing forecasts one day at a time.
Review cloud cover, darkness, Moon conditions, atmospheric proxies, and a concise forecast summary designed for photographers.
PLAN THE SHOT
Prepare for Milky Way, Galactic Core, Moon, meteor, landscape, and general night-sky photography with tools including:
. Milky Way and Galactic Core planning
. AR sky guidance
. Moon phase, rise, set, and visibility tools
. Meteor shower outlooks
. Astronomical twilight and dark-window timing
. Nightly weather forecasts
. Star exposure calculator
. Balanced and Sharper exposure modes
. DSLR, mirrorless, and film camera support
. Custom camera and lens profiles
TAKE IT INTO THE FIELD
Field Mode keeps essential timing and tools available in a red-on-black interface designed for use under the night sky. Apple Watch support helps you check key information without pulling out your phone.
SAVE THE PLACES THAT MATTER
Save observing locations, choose your active shooting spot, compare locations, and keep planning information synchronized across your Apple devices with iCloud.
Dark Skies also includes widgets and smart alerts so strong shooting conditions are easier to catch.
BUILT FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS, NOT DATA ANALYSTS
Dark Skies is simpler than an all-purpose photography planner. It turns forecasts, astronomy, and location data into practical decisions about where to go, when to shoot, and what to photograph.
. Free to download
. No ads
. No account required
. Privacy-first design
. Optional Pro features available
Spend less time comparing data and more time under the sky.

Version History Dark Skies 5.3.1 focuses on making your night planning more reliable when the details matter.
• More dependable forecast refreshes and date handling, including overnight and timezone edge cases
• Improved moon-interference calculations for better Best Nights planning
• More reliable widgets and Apple Watch behavior around changing nights and daylight saving time
• Purchase, restore, and Pro-status reliability improvements
• Stronger privacy protections for diagnostic data
• Refined Apple Intelligence explanations with tighter astronomy guardrails
• Additional accessibility, onboarding, and interface polish
Plus a large set of behind-the-scenes fixes and regression tests to keep “is tonight worth shooting?” accurate and dependable. 5.3.1 Sep 14 Dark Skies 5.3 is ready for iOS 27.
• Fully updated for iOS 27 with extensive performance, compatibility, accessibility, and reliability improvements throughout the app.
• Apple Intelligence has been rebuilt for iOS 27, including support for Apple’s Private Cloud Compute for more advanced processing when needed.
• New Siri and Shortcuts actions let you ask about tonight’s outlook, dark window, Moon, and best upcoming night.
• Saved locations can now appear in Spotlight and Shortcuts for faster access.
• Additional privacy, stability, and under-the-hood improvements across Dark Skies. 5.3 Sep 11 Make Tonight yours

Dark Skies now changes its nighttime backdrop with the season and major sky events — meteor showers, eclipses, comets and more. Pick your favorite look, or let it evolve with the sky. 5.2.0 Sep 7 Dark Skies 5.1.2 makes planning your next astrophotography session smoother and more reliable.
We’ve refined the experience behind the scenes so checking tonight’s conditions, moonlight, clouds, twilight and your best shooting windows feels faster and more dependable.
Small update. Better nights under the stars. 5.1.2 Aug 31 Fixed a few important location and astronomy issues:
“Upcoming in your area” now better reflects events that are actually relevant to your selected location.
Improved handling for Northern and Southern Hemisphere visibility.
Event countdowns now use the time zone of the location you’re planning for.
Fixed stale upcoming-event results when switching between saved locations.
General reliability and astronomy-data cleanup. 5.1.1 Aug 26 Dark Skies 5.1 makes Tonight clearer, more accurate, and easier to use.
• Refined Tonight layout makes your shooting window and key conditions easier to read at a glance
• More accurate twilight timing with real nautical dusk and clearer astronomical darkness and dawn milestones
• Improved Dynamic Type and accessibility layouts
• Polished Meteor Outlook, event imagery, and spacing throughout Tonight
• Additional reliability and interface improvements
Less time interpreting the forecast. More confidence knowing when it’s worth heading out.
Clear skies! 5.1 Aug 18 This update improves the accuracy and consistency of Moon and nighttime planning data.
Fixed an issue that could display Moon impact instead of Moon illumination.
Corrected cases where Tonight’s Plan could show Moon or lens guidance from the wrong night.
Improved forecast caching so saved data always matches the correct date and location.
Aligned Moon calculations across forecasts, widgets, and planning tools.
Improved astronomical darkness calculations and overall forecast reliability.
Additional performance, stability, and accuracy improvements. 5.0.1 Aug 3 Dark Skies 5.0 is here—and your next great night starts now.

Discover darker places, explore nearby campgrounds, compare measured light, and find shooting spots worth the drive. Then use the completely redesigned experience to check Tonight, find your Best Nights, plan the shot, and head out with confidence.

Find darker skies. Plan smarter. Get the shot. 5.0 Jul 30 Best Location is here.
Compare your saved locations and quickly see which one offers the best opportunity for astrophotography or night photography tonight. Dark Skies considers the Night Score, usable darkness, weather conditions, moonlight, timing, and distance to help you choose where to shoot.
Once you choose a location, Night Plan brings the important details together in one clear view, including:
• Your recommended shooting window
• Key weather and night-sky conditions
• Moon and darkness timing
• Exposure starting points
• Quick access to Field Mode, Maps, Calendar, and sharing
Dark Skies still keeps the decision simple: less time comparing forecast data and more confidence deciding whether tonight is worth shooting.
Version 4.10 also includes accessibility improvements, clearer layouts at larger text sizes, and additional reliability refinements across the app. 4.10.0 Jul 21 Dark Skies 4.9.2 improves reliability and polish across location, sky guidance, permissions, and accessibility, with small fixes throughout the app. 4.9.2 Jul 16 Dark Skies 4.9.1 is a focused reliability and polish update.

• Field Mode refinements for a smoother night-shooting experience
• Your exposure calculator settings now stay saved between sessions
• Improved purchase restoration and offline messaging
• Small UI, accessibility, and stability improvements across Tonight, Best Nights, and Forecast

Thanks for using Dark Skies—and clear skies! 4.9.1 Jul 15 Field Mode is here — a free on-site companion for nights when you’re already out under the sky.

Field Mode
Open it from Tonight for simple guidance in the field: shoot now, wait for darkness or moonset, or wrap up for the night — with a live countdown to the next moment that matters.

Built for night vision
A red-on-black field view helps preserve your dark adaptation. The screen stays awake while you shoot, dims gently when idle, and sky and moon timings continue working offline.

A glance for your wrist
Raise your Apple Watch for the same verdict, countdown, and moon context while you’re out shooting.

Meteor Outlook returns to Tonight
The Meteor Outlook card is back on the Tonight screen, with active showers, peak timing, and the next notable shower when none is active.

Refined throughout
Stability and reliability improvements across Tonight, Best Nights, and Forecast keep planning calm and dependable.

Thanks for using Dark Skies. Clear skies! 4.9 Jul 9 Dark Skies is sharper, faster, and more reliable for planning nights under the stars.
This update improves purchase restoration, cleans up Best Nights and widget behavior, strengthens privacy-safe diagnostics, and includes general performance and reliability improvements across the app.
No ads. No accounts. Just better nights under the stars.
Clear skies. 4.8.2 Jun 30 Clearer forecasts. Cleaner under the hood.

This maintenance update tightens the 4.8 experience with clearer forecast wording, cleanup across planning screens, and reliability improvements for Best Nights, widgets, and everyday use.

No accounts. No ads. Just better nights under the stars.

Clear skies. 4.8.1 Jun 25 Plan the right night.
• Best Nights ranks upcoming nights by shooting conditions, helping you pick the clearest, darkest window. Pro extends the view to two full weeks.
• Best Night Alerts can quietly remind you before an excellent night — on device, with no accounts or servers.
• A calmer Starting Setup guides your first steps.
• Widgets now open directly to the right night or view.
• Performance and reliability improvements. 4.8 Jun 20 This release is all about stability and polish:

• Reliability fixes across Tonight, Forecast, and widgets
• Faster, quieter refreshes
• Smoother widgets and saved-location switching

Clear skies! 4.7.1 Jun 18 Dark Skies is now easier to check at a glance.
New Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets
Meteor Outlook for active showers and peak timing
Improved saved-location planning
Faster performance and reliability improvements 4.7 Jun 13 This update includes bug fixes, performance improvements, and general polish to make Dark Skies faster, smoother, and more reliable. 4.6.1 Jun 11 Save your favorite shooting spots, quickly switch between them, and plan your next night shoot faster.
This release also includes Pro support for expanded saved locations, UI polish, performance improvements, and bug fixes. 4.6.0 Jun 10 This update adds a new Rate Dark Skies option in Settings, smoother restore purchase handling, clearer forecast messaging, and small reliability improvements throughout the app. 4.5.2 Jun 9 Bug fixes and enhancements for release 4.5.1 May 20 Sharper stars and a faster setup.

• Star Sharpness Modes — pick Balanced for the classic 500-rule look or Sharper for the more
conservative 300 rule. A quick intro helps you choose, and you can switch any time in Settings.

• Star Exposure Calculator — a clearer name and a redesigned result card. Tap the mode chip to flip
between Balanced and Sharper in one tap.

• Type any focal length or megapixel value — tap the number to edit it directly. Sliders and your
recommended exposure update instantly.

• Snap to common focal lengths — drag near 24, 35, 50, 85mm and other classics and the value gently
snaps into place with a subtle haptic.

• Same math, friendlier names — the formulas behind the scenes are unchanged. Your existing profiles
and recommendations stay accurate. 4.5 May 19 This update improves the forecast planning experience, smooths out navigation and upgrade flows, and includes reliability improvements and bug fixes across the app to make planning your next astrophotography session even better. 4.4.1 May 12 • New Forecast tab — every night this week scored 0–100 from cloud cover, precipitation, transparency,
dew risk, wind, and the Moon, weighed against your local dark hours.
• Powered by Apple Weather (WeatherKit) — averaged over the astronomical-dark window at your location.
• On-device Apple Intelligence summaries on iOS 26+ — deterministic scores remain authoritative; the
model only narrates.
• Conservative by design — stale or limited data is clearly labelled, and strong recommendations are
suppressed when confidence is low.
• Privacy-first — no third-party APIs, no accounts, no tracking. 4.4 May 11 Fixing a quick bug that leaked out! Whoops! 4.3.1 May 7