Is it a bad time for stargazing or photos?
It's fine, not great. Tonight-ish Sarasota: sky cover ~41%, moon ~82% lit (Waning). Golden hour evening: 5:48p–6:48p.
Sun, moon and clouds
Golden hour (our rule: the 60 minutes after sunrise and before sunset, from U.S. Naval Observatory sun times for Sarasota): morning 7:39a–8:39a; evening 5:48p–6:48p. Blue hour is adjacent and not scored.
Moon: Waning, ~82% illuminated (age 18.8 days). For stargazing, a bright moon is worse. For moon photography, ignore the moon row and use golden hour / clear sky.
Moon age: age = ((now − 2000-01-06 18:14 UTC) in days) mod 29.530589 = 18.8 days. Illumination = 50 × (1 − cos(2π × age ÷ 29.53)) ≈ 82% (U.S. Naval Observatory: Waning Gibbous, 74%). Within 1.85 days of new or full = "between phases".
Solunar periods today (rule of thumb, from USNO moon times for Sarasota): major = moon overhead ±1 h: 4:15a–6:15a (moon overhead 05:15); minor = moonrise/moonset ±30 min: 12:03p–1:03p (moonset 12:33), 10:32p–11:32p (moonrise 23:02). We skip the "moon underfoot" major period because USNO doesn't publish lower transit.
Moon and solunar timing are folk rules of thumb for fish activity, not science we can vouch for. They're shown for planning and nudge the verdict only as noted.
| Hour | Sky cover | Temp | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1a | 14% | 74° | 8 mph NE |
| 2a | 19% | 73° | 8 mph NE |
| 3a | 29% | 72° | 8 mph NE |
| 4a | 34% | 72° | 8 mph NE |
| 5a | 34% | 71° | 8 mph NE |
| 8p | 59% | 78° | 10 mph ENE |
| 9p | 58% | 78° | 10 mph ENE |
| 10p | 54% | 76° | 10 mph ENE |
| 11p | 52% | 75° | 9 mph ENE |
| 12a | 49% | 75° | 9 mph ENE |
| 1a | 39% | 74° | 9 mph ENE |
| 2a | 50% | 73° | 9 mph ENE |
Night hours = 8 p.m.–5 a.m. local from the NWS hourly forecast.
NWS hourly forecast for Sarasota (grid TBW/71,70), updated 2026-10-30T04:26:16+00:00. Pulled 2026-10-30T05:20:04.843Z (UTC). Partial pull: uv: no UV. Last good copies are used where noted.
How the verdict works
Rule: each check gets Good, Meh or Bad. The verdict is the worst of them. Heat-index bands follow the NWS heat index chart; every other threshold is ours.
| Check | Input | Thresholds | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| NWS active alerts | None | Severe/Extreme = Bad; other = Meh | Good |
| Avg sky cover, next night hours | 41% | 70%+ = Bad; 40–69% = Meh; under 40% = Good | Meh |
| Moon illumination (stars) | 82% (Waning) | 85%+ = Bad for dark-sky stars; 50–84% = Meh; under 50% = Good. Bright moon is fine for moon photos. | Meh |
Result: worst = Meh.
How we know
NWS sky cover, USNO sun/moon times, and our moon-age math, pulled hourly.
- National Weather Service API (api.weather.gov), hourly forecast and alerts for Siesta Key: Official NWS hourly forecast (temperature, chance of precipitation, wind) and active alerts. U.S. government data, public domain.
- U.S. Naval Observatory Astronomical Applications, rise/set/transit API: Official U.S. Naval Observatory moon rise, set and transit times for Sarasota. Public data for non-commercial use with attribution.
Last updated: page rebuilt October 30, 2026. Data status: beach: ok, last good October 30, 2026 · outdoor: ok, last good October 30, 2026.
FAQ
Why is a full moon Bad?
For dark-sky stargazing the moon washes out faint stars. Moon photos are a different goal — use the golden-hour times and treat the moon row as informational.