Sunscore
Finding your location…
/100
    ·

    The week ahead

    What to look for

    When to watch

    Light path map
    ClearSome cloudCloudy
    Why this score
    Will glowGrey: no light reaches itLow cloudSunlight
    Cloud through the evening

    Add your photo to the map

    How colourful was it?
    Shared sky photo

    Forecast
    Go ↗
    Shared anonymously. The pin is within about 1 km of where it was taken.

    What's new

    How it works

    canvas: cloud overhead light path: must be clear sun you

    The best sunsets happen when the sun, already at or below your horizon, shines underneath clouds above you and lights them from below.

    So the app checks the forecast in two places: overhead (is there cloud to light up?) and 75–250 km towards the sun (is the sky clear enough for the light to get through?).

    The six factors are multiplied together, so one bad factor pulls the whole score down. A clear sky scores about 25: a pleasant glow, but nothing to light up.

    The pictures are cartoons: the amount of cloud in each layer, the light path and the sun's position come from the forecast, but where each cloud sits in the picture is illustrative.

    Forecasts can be wrong, especially about cloud, so check the confidence and look again nearer the time. Your ratings help tune the model.