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Rule Dark Skies

San Pedro de Atacama - Dark Skies - Atacama Desert

San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile

Moonless nights with crystal-clear skies for deep-sky photography

Upcoming Opportunities

When all conditions match, PhotoWeather marks an opportunity window.

Times shown in America/Santiago
Next opportunity
Good Dark Skies
San Pedro de Atacama
Tomorrow · 06:00–07:00 · 1h window
High confidence
75%
🌛Moon Altitude-84.7°
☁️Total Cloud Coverage13.7%
starry-night weather icon
Excellent Dark Skies (pristine) at Sunrise
San Pedro de Atacama
Tomorrow · 07:00–08:00
🌛Moon Altitude:-81.9°
High
starry-night weather icon
Pristine Dark Skies (pristine)
San Pedro de Atacama
Tomorrow · 08:00–10:00
🌛Moon Altitude:-68.7--55.5°
Medium
starry-night weather icon
Excellent Dark Skies (pristine)
San Pedro de Atacama
Tue, Feb 24 · 06:00–07:00
🌛Moon Altitude:-71.8°
High
starry-night weather icon
Good Dark Skies at Sunrise
San Pedro de Atacama
Tue, Feb 24 · 07:00–08:00
🌛Moon Altitude:-84.2°
High
starry-night weather icon
Pristine Dark Skies (pristine)
San Pedro de Atacama
Tue, Feb 24 · 08:00–13:00
🌛Moon Altitude:-81--30°
Medium
starry-night weather icon
Pristine Dark Skies (pristine)
San Pedro de Atacama
Wed, Feb 25 · 05:00–07:00
🌛Moon Altitude:-58.6--45.9°
Medium
+13 more windows in the next 10 days

What this forecast looks for

Plain-language explanation from the rule

This forecast tracks the conditions that make the Atacama Desert the world's premier astrophotography destination. We combine cloud cover, moon phase, and atmospheric transparency data to predict optimal Milky Way and deep-sky conditions.

The Atacama is the driest non-polar desert on Earth, with some areas receiving no measurable rainfall for decades. This extreme aridity, combined with high altitude and minimal light pollution, creates the clearest skies in the world—which is why the world's major observatories are located here.

What makes Atacama special for astrophotography:

  • Exceptional clarity - The driest air on Earth means minimal atmospheric distortion
  • Southern skies - View the Milky Way core and Southern Hemisphere objects invisible from the north
  • High altitude - Locations above 2,400m reduce atmospheric interference
  • 300+ clear nights - Near-guaranteed cloudless conditions year-round

The Milky Way core is best visible from February through October. New moon phases are essential for deep-sky work. The desert landscape offers unique foregrounds—salt flats, rock formations, and volcanic peaks beneath an ocean of stars. Consider guided astronomy tours to access the best dark sites.

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72-hour requirements breakdown

What passed or failed, hour by hour
24matching hours in the next 95 hoursJump to next match
OR logic: one branch per group is enough
Meets requirement
Misses requirement
Time
America/Santiago
Astronomical Night
Any
Total Cloud Coverage
≤ 20.0%
Visibility
≥ 12000.0m
Precipitation Chance
≤ 10.0%
Moon Illumination
OR1·B1
≤ 35.0%
Moon Altitude
OR1·B2
≤ 10.0°
Sat, Feb 21
22:00✓99%24135m66%28%10°
23:00✓100%24134m33%28%-2.6°
Sun, Feb 22
24:00✓98%24135m0%28%-16°
01:00✓26%24134m0%28%-29°
02:00✓0%24135m0%28%-42°
03:00✓0%24134m0%28%-56°
04:00✓0%24134m0%28%-69°
05:00✓0%24134m0%28%-81°
06:00✓0%24135m0%28%-81°
07:00✓0.5%24135m0%28%-69°
08:00✓1.1%24135m0%28%-56°
09:00✓0.6%24134m0%28%-42°
10:00✓0%24135m1.2%28%-29°
11:00✓0%24135m2.3%28%-16°
12:00✓0%24135m3.5%28%-3.5°
13:00✓5%24135m21%28%8.7°
14:00✓1.7%24135m39%28%20°
15:00✓24%24135m56%28%31°
16:00✓53%24135m91%28%39°
17:00✓100%24135m92%28%45°
18:00✓76%24134m93%28%47°
19:00✓86%24134m94%28%44°
20:00✓93%24135m95%28%38°
21:00✓100%24134m96%38%29°
22:00✓100%24134m72%38%18°
23:00✓100%23198m48%38%6.2°
Mon, Feb 23
24:00✓96%24134m24%38%-6.1°
01:00✓95%24134m29%38%-19°
02:00✓64%24134m34%38%-32°
03:00✓47%24135m39%38%-45°
04:00✓27%24134m26%38%-58°
05:00✓28%24135m13%38%-71°
06:00✓14%24135m0%38%-85°
07:00✓9.9%24135m0%38%-82°
08:00✓3.4%24135m0%38%-69°
09:00✓1.3%24135m0%38%-55°
10:00✓2.7%24134m27%38%-42°
11:00✓2.7%24135m55%38%-29°
12:00✓3.9%24135m82%38%-17°
13:00✓5.1%24135m88%38%-4.5°
14:00✓23%24135m94%38%7.3°
15:00✓75%24134m99%38%18°
16:00✓30%24135m99%38%28°
17:00✓100%17104m99%38%36°
18:00✓100%24134m99%38%41°
19:00✓100%24135m99%38%42°
20:00✓96%24135m99%38%40°
21:00✓91%24134m99%50%34°
22:00✓98%24135m66%50%25°
23:00✓100%18235m33%50%15°
Tue, Feb 24
24:00✓98%23619m0%50%3.7°
01:00✓99%24135m0%50%-8.2°
02:00✓99%24135m0%50%-21°
03:00✓100%24135m0%50%-33°
04:00✓97%24135m0%50%-46°
05:00✓32%24135m0%50%-59°
06:00✓5.9%24135m0%50%-72°
07:00✓10%24134m0%50%-84°
08:00✓6%24135m0%50%-81°
09:00✓4.9%24135m0%50%-68°
10:00✓1.8%24135m0%50%-56°
11:00✓0.3%24135m0%50%-43°
12:00✓2.3%24134m0%50%-30°
13:00✓3.1%24134m15%50%-18°
14:00✓0.1%24134m31%50%-5.6°
15:00✓0.1%24134m46%50%5.8°
16:00✓15%24135m52%50%16°
17:00✓20%24135m58%50%26°
18:00✓45%24134m64%50%33°
19:00✓84%24134m66%50%38°
20:00✓96%24135m67%50%40°
21:00✓99%24134m68%61%37°
22:00✓100%24135m53%61%31°
23:00✓100%24097m38%61%23°
Wed, Feb 25
24:00✓100%24134m22%61%14°
01:00✓84%24135m22%61%2.7°
02:00✓27%24134m22%61%-8.9°
03:00✓30%24135m22%61%-21°
04:00✓20%24135m15%61%-33°
05:00✓10%24135m7.4%61%-46°
06:00✓0%24135m0%61%-59°
07:00✓0.03%24135m19%61%-71°
08:00✓0.07%24135m37%61%-83°
09:00✓0.1%24135m56%61%-81°
10:00✓3.1%24135m57%61%-69°
11:00✓6.2%24135m59%61%-56°
12:00✓9.2%24135m61%61%-43°
13:00✓31%23222m63%61%-31°
14:00✓54%22309m65%61%-19°
15:00✓76%21396m67%61%-6.6°
16:00✓55%22309m58%61%4.7°
17:00✓33%23222m49%61%15°
18:00✓12%24135m40%61%25°
19:00✓9.1%24135m34%61%32°
20:00✓5.8%24135m28%61%37°
How to read: colored cells show whether each predicate requirement is met; highlighted rows mean the full rule matched (an opportunity). For OR groups, only one branch is required, so some OR-branch predicates can be ✕ even in a matching hour.

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